Hostage to Accomplice
by pinazee
Summary: A CSI is at the mercy of a known serial killer after a hostage situation gone wrong. now hes just another tool in his arsonal.First csi Fanfic. non slash plus grissom makes a return. T for Lang & Vio Previously titled No Way Out
1. There, Not there

No way

_**Authors notes:**_ Okay, this has been in my head for awhile now, and I just had to write it down somewhere. This is a very sloppy version and will be revised later and more will be added to it later. This is my first fanfiction about CSI.

_**Things to know:**_ Takes place in the present season (11). Greg is my favorite character, well the old Greg anyways. I don't much care for Sarah or Ray, but that shouldn't affect my story. I want to keep it as much as I can like the show. Meaning, I'm not going to make nick or greg gay, and sarah is still married to grissom, and no OC's, except the bad guy of course. I miss Gill so he might make a comeback :P Warrick is, sadly, still dead. Catherine is going out with Vartann.

It was a bright springtime morning in Las Vegas, Nevada but you could never tell in this place. The lab had few windows opened but even then, nobody paid attention to them anyways. Not today. Not while James Yoder was being walked into the interrogation room by a group of heavily armed police officers. He was a tall dark haired man with piercing green eyes and an arrogant smile. His job at a law firm had many perks after all which warranted such confidence. They had found his DNA at the crime scene and they _still_ couldn't arrest him. Not when it was illegally attained without the store owners permission. He had seen to that. He had only scared him though, once he did _his_ part as a decent resident of Las Vegas, he would make sure the store owner never had a chance to find his courage. That's what this whole escort was about. The entire city new he was the adam and eve killer, but with their only evidence against him no longer usable he could walk free once more. The only reason he returned was because they called him back down and he wanted to screw with them some more.

About two weeks ago, Sara, Nick, and Greg had arrived at a crime scene in an ally, where two bodies, one male and one female, were found stabbed to death beside a dumpster. Nick joined Doc Robbins at the body while Sara processed the surrounding areas. Greg walked around the street looking for cameras and noticed a convenience store across the street. The owner was more than happy to show him the tapes and answer his questions. As Greg was watching the tapes from the previous night, he noticed a man keeping his face away from the camera. He thought this was suspicious and watched him carefully as he went to the back of the store, made a fountain drink, and paid the man after sticking his gum to the underside of the counter when the owner wasn't looking. Greg went to the counter and scraped the gum off of the underside. Back at the lab, they didn't get a match off of the saliva in the gum but they were able to compare it with saliva off the first case found on the males shirt and got a positive match. It was a dead end until about six days ago when James had to undergo a routine drug test while applying for a new job. Two days later, Nick was agitated with the case and took his free time to run the gum saliva through the system again and to his surprise, he got a match. Somehow the information was leaked to the press and all of a sudden, the whole city new James Yoder was their number one suspect. However, James had already been a lawyer for seven years and was soon able to get the only evidence they had on him, deleted.

As Yoder was walking through the halls he knew something was up though. First of all, the officers were escorting him. Second of all, everyone in the lab had stopped working and turned to face him; some fearful and others triumphant. It didn't finally occur to him what was happening until he saw that fat old man sitting in the waiting room with a red headed woman. He knew what was happening now and his confident smile turned to deepest loathing. With no other option, he pushed the officers aside and grabbed the person walking by with his head between a file; holding a hidden knife to his throat. The scene turned drastically as everyone tried to establish what had just happened. Catherine heard shouting and poked her head outside the door, only to see James pressing a knife into the neck of Greg Sanders.

"Nobody moves or theres gonna be blood shed," shouted James. Hearing the commotion, Brass appeared out of the interrogation room and was shocked at the scene before him. James turned his direction and panicked. "Stay away!" Soon the whole lab was watching as Greg was being held hostage by a crazed killer. Sara and Nick stood back with Catherine while Ray had joined Brass.

"You don't wanna do this James. Just let Mr. Sanders go," Said Brass. Years of practice had turned his frightened voice into stern.

"Come on James, let my co-worker go and we can sort this out," said Ray. Despite the calm emanating from his body Ray was scared out of his mind for his friend. He noticed a police officer behind James begin to take aim but Ray discretely shook his head for him not to. James noticed this look though and turned around, accidently pressing the blade into Gregs neck; splurting blood down his skin.

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Catherine was talking to the store owner when she heard a crash, a gasp, and a scream all at once. She quickly got up from her spot and looked out the door to see one of her CSI's at the mercy of a known killer. Word had spread around the lab quickly and Sarah and Nick had joined next to her shortly. Sara and Nick both went for their guns but Catherine put her hand out in front of them. Sara looked mad and Nick, confused.

"The knife is to close," was all she whispered and the two sighed and pulled their hands away from the weapon; Sara still looking mad and Nick still worried.

"Come on James, let my co-worker go and we can sort this out," said Ray. James started backing away down the hall. The officers he had shoved not but one minute ago slowly got back up with their weapons raised. Nick wanted to say something but Ray had already noticed and shook his head slightly. The officers lowered their weapons but it was too late. James had seen the silent interaction and turned himself and Greg around to quickly. All they heard was Greg Gasping in pain. Sara and Nick both cursed under their breathe as their friend was punctured, while Catherine put her hands to her face in surprise. Then two things happened: the elevator doors opened and James pulled Greg with him in and disappeared; leaving a bloody trail behind them. Brass immediantly got on his walkie-talkie and told officers to report to the car garage. The rest of the CSI's all took off down the stairs without thinking.

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Greg should have been paying attention. Then maybe he would have noticed James. Maybe now he wouldn't be bleeding all over his new shirt with a knife still jammed beneath his chin. The elevator doors dinged open and James quickly pushed Greg out and towards a black truck.

"Hey! Stop!" shouted a mans voice. James turned Greg around once more using him as a body shield then made another decision. He opened the passenger door and slid in with greg being pulled in as well. Then he started the truck and took off. Greg was only vaguely aware of what was happening outside as he was concentrating on the blood oozing out of his neck. After driving for about 15 minutes, James stopped the truck and reached into the backseat. He quickly pulled out some rope and tied it around Gregs wrists before he had a chance to protest.

"Look, you made it out of the building just let me go now," said Greg, desperate for freedom. James reached into the backseat once more. He cut off a piece of duct tape and put it over Gregs mouth. Then started driving once more. Greg sensed his case was hopeless and rested his head against the window as he watched the Las Vegas border sign pass by.

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Nick was the first to reach the car garage and saw James pushing Greg towards a large black truck.

"Hey! Stop!" he shouted but all it did was startle him. Nick watched in horror as James slid into the truck with Greg as well. Nick started shooting at the tires but it was too late. James had pulled out of the parking space and drove away. Nick felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around to see Ray and the others all with worried looks on their faces.

"He's gone," said Nick and Ray nodded.

"But we're getting him back," said Catherine as she turned to head back upstairs. The rest turned around to follow. Nick gave the garage one last look before leaving with the others. _Don't worry Greg. We're going to find you._

**Authors notes:**Thanks for reading, and like I said, this is just a rough draft so if there are grammatical errors or points in the story that don't make sense, feel free to review and let me know. :P I LOVE REVIEWS ! and thanks again.


	2. With him, Without him

**Authors notes:** Hopefully the writing has improved. I've tried to drag in some more details and whutchamahoozits. And guess what? No Ray :D No sara :D no gil :'( not yet anyways.

**Missing Disclaimer:** Do NOT OWN ANYTHING CSI RELATED. Not even a dvd sadely…

The bleeding had stopped. But not before it had made him light headed and woozy. Greg was only half aware that the truck had stopped and was startled to see that James had opened his door. He grabbed onto his arm and pulled him out into the, _cold? Why is it so cold?_ Greg thought. _It _is_ night time but it shouldn't be this cold! _Greg looked around to see if he could spot a sign or something that could help him find out where he was, however, it was hard for him to focus and the pavement kept creeping up on him as he was clumsily dragged by James. He went to speak but the duck tape reminded him of the silence requested by his captor. Next thing he knew, he was inside some kind of room, most likely a hotel because there were no pictures and little chocolates on the pillows. James threw Greg into a chair and untied his hands. Relief fled through him as he was able to stretch his shoulders. James quickly grabbed his arms again though and tied them to the arms of the chair. Then he laid down on the bed, closed his eyes, and sighed relief before he looked over at Greg and contorted his face into something that looked apologetic; but Greg was sure he was mistaken. He tried to convey to James that this was ridiculous and the best move would be to let him go but none of that seemed to reach James at all as he went to the bathroom. Greg took this chance to try to undo his bindings; difficult, seeing as how it was hard for him to see and concentrate at the moment. He heard the door opening and he stopped moving to see James coming over to him.

"No screaming or I won't hesitate to shoot you," he said. Greg nodded his head as James ripped off his tape, issuing a small hiss of pain from his victim. James pressed a bottle against Gregs lips and drizzled the water into his mouth. He drank it thankfully and felt loads better with something inside him. He couldn't remember the last time he had any kind of substance. James stopped pouring and allowed Greg to breathe for a bit.

"Whats going to happen to me?" mumbled Greg, he wasn't sure if he wanted the answer. James sighed again before putting the tape back over his mouth with a good push and laying on the bed. He closed his eyes and began snoring. Greg almost wanted to laugh at the pure humanity issued from his noisy habits but instead decided to concentrate on his bindings. He moved his wrists up and down to loosen their hold on his flesh but they didn't budge. He worked on them through half the night before finally giving up with the sheer pain now throbbing from his raw skin. He rested his head against the back of the chair and glared at the ceiling. _How did I get myself into this?_

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_Watching him being taken away was hard enough, but now we have to wipe his blood off the floor_, as evidence_! It was bad enough after the beating but at least then we knew he was stable and at a hospital. Who knows where he is now! He could be lying in a ditch somewhere or an alleyway, dead! If Catherine had just let me shoot him, Greg might not be in the hands of a murderer right now!_

Nick got up with his samples of blood, _Gregs blood,_ he thought. He briskly walked over to the DNA lab and handed it over with a slight nod at the lab rat to indicate whose it was. He nodded back and instantly began working on it. Then he went to the AV lab.

"Hey Arch, were going to need ALL our video cameras to be copied and filed; even the ones from the parking garage. I want to make sure we have damming evidence. This guy is not getting away with taking Greg!" Archie nodded his head in agreement and ran out of the room to get the evidence. Nick looked at the screen to see a paused frustrated moment. Greg in James clutches, knife at throat, officers on floor, contemplation on the minds of every staff member there with a gun wondering if they could shoot him without hurting Greg. Nick got so angry knowing he could have done something and he didn't. So angry, he banged his fists on the counter three times.

"Nicky?" Catherine leaned into the lab. He glanced her away before looking at the floor once more. He didn't want to deal with her right now.

"Nicky talk to me. Let me help you." She put a comforting hand on his arm but he shook it off.

"This is your fault. You should have let me shoot him! Then Greg wouldn't be on the missing persons list!" Catherine backed up and felt hurt. _My fault?_ She thought. She put her hands around his arms and forced him to look at her.

"Nicky, we both know if you had shot him, Jame's arm would have gone back with him and the knife would have been lodged in Gregs throat faster then you can say double helix. We did the best we could. Besides, we are going to find him and he WILL be fine. He's survived an explosion and a gang beating there's no doubt in my mind that he will make it. Just hang in there because when he gets back, he's going to need us. ALL of us." She pulled him into a quick hug and walked out. Nick watched her leave then looked at the screen; noticing for the first time, the terror behind the determination to live in Gregs eyes. _Catherine, I hope your right._


	3. Dead line, Dead man

"Hey Nick," yelled Archie down the hallway. Nick turned around to see him sprinting towards him. "I have something you need to see. It's about Gregs case." Nick turned around and followed Archie to the AV lab. He sat down in front of the screen and started the video. Nick watched as James Yoder was being escorted down the hall once more. At this point, Yoder was rounding the waiting room, where Catherine was talking to the store owner.

"Pay attention to James' eyes," said Archie. He slowed down the video and zoomed in on his face. Nick watched as Yoder's self confidence diminished into deepest loathing.

"That's how he knew," said Nick to himself. Excited, he left the room to explain to the others the new information Archie had found. He ran down the hall to the DNA lab where he found Sara leaving with a file in hand.

"Sara! James knew and he panicked! I don't think there's much time until Yoder decides to-"

"Kill Greg," finished Sara with fear etched in every syllable. Nick nodded in agreement, disappointed that he must. "I'll tell Catherine, you should go tell Ray, he's in Trace." Nick took off down the lab once more as Sara began walking towards Catherines office, but was stopped when she saw her husband walking towards her. She smiled and ran into his arms. Grissom gave her a warming embrace that made her forget about the worry she had for her friend. Grissom eased his grip and Sarah pulled away.

"Is there anything I can do?" asked Grissom. Although he seemed stable and emotionless, Sara new the very twists in his words that indicated the fear he kept subsided, which only reminded her of the worry she wished she didn't need. Sara put her hand on his face gently and smiled as he took his hand into hers and squeezed it with a gossamers touch.

"I think Catherine needs help trying to figure out where James might be heading, I was just on my way to talk to her," said Sara frowning as she remembered the urgency that was recently placed upon the case. Grissom noticed her sadness and looked at her curiously (although meaning to look understandingly) and followed her to Catherines office. She knocked on her door and heard a faint _come in_ from the other side.

"Catherine?" said Sara. Catherine was frantically searching through papers, looking for any key words that could help them find Greg. He was, after all, part of the lab family they had made for themselves, and anybody who tried to mess with her family got to see the brutal side of her. Catherine looked up and saw the pair, not believing the man that stood before her; her former co-worker, Gill Grissom. She smiled at him and walked around her desk.

"Hey Gill," she said, as she took him into a quick embrace.

"Hello Catherine," said Grissom.

"Reunion is going to have to be later; Nick just told me Yoder's panicking. Greg doesn't have much time before he shows up dead." Sara quietly said good bye to Grissom and rushed out of the room to see if Archie got anything else off the tapes. Catherine looked at him in fear, knowing that the odds that they will find Yoder that fast are almost slim to none. She retreated back to her desk and put her elbow on the desk and her forehead in her hands; stress never seemed so back-breaking before.

"Catherine we can do this. It's why I'm here," said Grissom as he sat in a chair in front of her desk. She looked up at him as he gave her a confident smile. She smiled back and sighed as she began picking up papers, hoping that this time, the odds would tip in their favor.

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Greg awoke to darkness. Nothing new. He always had the curtains closed in his room. He yawned and went to stretch his arms, but that's when it hit him. He popped his eyes open to the same surroundings he once associated with a dream; after all, it was impossible to be kidnapped from the lab, there were just too many officers. There was no way he could have been taken to a hotel room and duct taped to a chair. _Lying to myself isn't going to help anything_ thought Greg. He looked over at his still sleeping captor and began working on the bindings once more. He moved his wrists in every angle imaginable. Twisted and turned until he bled profusely and couldn't take the pain anymore. And all that did was rough the edges up a bit.

Greg swore to himself and looked upon his captor once more. Ironically, it was the evidence HE had found that was going to send him to jail. He knew the others would find him; he trusted them with his life, which is, at the moment, just the case. He just hoped they could find him soon. He wasn't sure how long he had been gone but he knew he didn't have much longer. Taking him had been a last minute edition to the plan, and the easiest solution would be to get rid of him as soon as possible. This only worried Greg more. _I'm not going down without a fight!_ He thought and began writhing through his bindings once more.

Just then, James began stirring awake. Greg stopped everything and watched as he woke up and went to the bathroom. Greg worked on the duct tape as hard as he could but he didn't get anywhere but deeper into his bloodied wounds. Yoder came back into the room and sat on the bed looking at Greg.

"You should stop struggling. Those wounds will only get infected deeper," said James. He looked down at the carpet and noticed the small blood pool by the legs and anger surged through him. "Gah! You got your blood all over the carpet!" He strode over to Greg and punched him in the face. Greg tried to intake breath but struggled with the tape across his mouth. Yoder grabbed Gregs face and forced him to look him right in the eyes. "Listen here, I only have one rule; you must obey me no matter what. Stop struggling. You will not make it anywhere, and if you do find a way out, I will hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands. Got it?" he forced Greg to nod. "good. If you do listen I promise to make this as comfortable for you as possible. We're going to be with each for awhile Mr. Sanders so get used to it." He pushed Gregs head back and walked towards the door. "I'm going to get us breakfast and now bleach thanks to you. Remember what I told you." He opened the door and slammed it shut.

Greg closed his eyes, not believing what he just heard. How long was 'awhile'?

**Authors notes:** Okay, so i fixed the breaks in all the chapters and changed saras name so that it's spelled the right way (thanks walking chill pill!) hopefully its less confusing. sorry for the long wait! i have a thread of an idea to work on so it's going to take a while to weave it into a good story :) Thanks for reading! i love reviews!


	4. Plan, Action

**Authors Notes: ** PLEASE READ! I didn't change the chapters I just switched the order. It works better for the timeline I created to finish the story. It should be completed within a month or so. I have the whole story outlined and have started writing the next chapter.

First of all, you guys are awesome, thanks for your patience! Second of all, this chapter is short yes but I want you guys to know that I have much MUCH more to come and hopefully soon. I just wanted to give you guys SOMETHING. I am not giving up on this story I promise!

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After Yoder came back, he dropped some plastic bags on the bed and cleaned up the blood pools at the legs of Greg's chair in silence. Then he angled the chair so that it faced the bed and he sat down opposite of him.

"Mr. Sanders, I would first like to apologize to you," said Yoder, completely startling Greg. His calm demeanor scared him though because to do a complete 180 means this guys emotions were much more unstable then he thought. "I had no intentions of taking you but it was too good of an opportunity. There are a few things you should know. One: I will always get what I want. I cannot emphasize that enough. Resistance will only lead to unnecessary pain and messes and I HATE cleaning. If you do resist however, I'll make sure one of your friends will be the first to shed blood. I have connections Mr. Sanders and people who owe me, willing to do any work I tell them too.

Two: I don't plan on killing you. Not right away at least. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something. I can teach you so many things, how to stay hidden, how to escape, though you already got a taste of that earlier (He chuckled. Greg rolled his eyes), I could teach you how to stun people with your fist, how to cut someone in the right spot so they slowly bleed to death-valuable life experiences. I'm going to let you eat now. Remember what I said. I would hate to have to put a feeding tube in your throat to keep you silent."

Yoder grabbed the plastic bags he had thrown aside earlier. He dumped some breakfast bars and small containers of orange juice on the bed. He peeled off the tape on Greg's mouth. He gasped for air, relishing in this small freedom. "Are you left handed or right handed?" asked Yoder.

"Right handed," gruff led a confused Greg. Yoder untied his right hand and put a half opened breakfast bar in it. Greg began to eat greedily, unsure of the next opportunity. Yoder was standing in the doorway watching him.

"Tell me about yourself . What position do you hold at the lab?" Greg finished off the breakfast bar.

"I'm a CSI," He replied.

"Were you working on my case?" Greg thought about lying to him but was sure that by now it would be all over the news that Yoder had captured the man who had found evidence against him.

"Yes."

"What did you think?" asked Yoder as he sat down on the bed opposite him.

"Think about what?"

"The murders! Were they gut wrenching enough? I tried to choose couples that would leave the most impact. Big families, about to get married, I believe one couple was expecting a child in four months." Greg's heart missed a beat. He had forgot about that case. Then Greg realized that he might be able to help.

"Those we were able to identify yes,"

"That was for my own protection. Some could be traced back to me,"

"Well now that everyone knows you are the Adam and Eve killer why not let everyone know who the victims are. You know uhh, to create more of an impact," Greg winced, remembering his previous explosion towards him.

", can I call you Greg?" he nodded. "Greg that sounds like a great idea but I know you are just trying to bring solace to the families. Nope, once you want to do it for the joy of torture then I will release the information but until then, their identities will remain safely in my comforting hands.

If you will excuse me Greg, I have to make a phone call." Yoder grabbed the duct tape from the nightstand and wrapped it around Greg's head then left the room. Greg stared at the food on the bed-still hungry. He looked around the room to keep himself distracted from his unsatisfied stomach. Now that light was streaming through the window he noticed that the walls and ceilings looked like they were about to crumble into pieces. All of the furniture looked really old as well but had been cleaned recently. This was the weirdest hotel room he had ever been in. Not counting the one in Mexico that one spring break, because, well, he didn't remember most of that night.

"Good news Greg, we are ready to move to our next residence. This one is a bit more permanent," said Yoder. After picking up everything Yoder rummaged through the nightstand and grabbed something Greg couldn't see.

"It's nothing personal Greg," said Yoder as he walked slowly towards Greg with a needle in hand. Greg began to panic. he tried to get as far away from Yoder as possible but couldn't go farther than his chair. Then he felt a sharp sting in his neck and soon after his whole body went limp. Yoder held up Greg's head and leaned in close to his ear. "Try to make the most of this experience Greg, it might be the last one you will ever get,"

Greg was screaming on the inside but could not get his body to do the same. He couldn't move a single part but he was still conscious. He could feel everything- Yoder undoing his bindings, lifting him over his shoulder, carrying him to the back of the truck, and throwing a tarp over him. He had gotten a good look at the building on the way to the truck and was surprised to see that it wasn't a hotel at all. In fact it looked like a condemned gas station.

Greg had to keep himself distracted, it's how he dealt with these kinds of situations. He kept his mind on his friends. He knew they were going to find him, he just knew it. They had found Nick and Sara and countless others, surely they wound find him as well. At least he hoped they would.

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**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Missing Person, Missing Him

_yesssss! finally found the time to update! Once again, if you find any inconsistencies please let me know!_

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_3 weeks later…_

Catherine Willows was exhausted. She was finishing the report that was due yesterday (_"If it's not turned in by tomorrow morning you're going to be working for free until it is!"_), and the only thing that was holding her eyelids open was the fourth cup of coffee placed half-hazardly on the side of her desk next to the leaning tower of paper work. After a week long desperate search for any sign or clue as to where Yoder or Greg were, they were forced to call it a cold case and had to move their energy to the more pressing cases that seemed to be piling on even harder than usual. Having to tell the team was one of the hardest things she ever had to do- almost as hard as telling Mrs. Sanders that her son was missing and his case was going under as "unsolved".

They were all in the break room. They all looked at her as she walked in. They new it was coming soon. She didn't even have to say a word when Nick instantly began protesting, insisting that they weren't trying hard enough, mixing his sentences together so it sounded like "I'm sure there's, he's one of us, must be something, what if he, I know he's alive" and so on. Sarah sat down on the couch and stared into oblivion as Grissom embraced her. Word soon spread throughout the lab about the decision and it seemed like the whole department was mourning. You no longer heard side conversations in the hallways, no laughter as the lab rats tried to busy themselves while waiting for results or music playing in the background. Everyone was in mourning for their lost colleague. They did what they were required to do and nothing more. It was like the life source was sucked right out of them. The only one who seemed to have any energy was Nick and all he wanted to do was discuss Greg's case with whoever would listen and the number of volunteers was dwindling daily. The only one left was surprisingly Hodges, who didn't have anything else to do. Grissom had decided to stay until they could find a suitable replacement for Greg, which was taking much longer than usual (Grissom suspected Catherine had a hand in that)

Catherine punctuated her last sentence with relief_. One assignment done, seven to go_ she thought. She sat back in her chair, took off her glasses, rubbed her eyes, and breathed exhaustion. It seemed like as soon as word got out that a CSI was missing the entire city went into a crime spree; 15 cases in one night, 8 murder, and 11 dead. The only positive thing she could say was that it kept people busy which distracted everyone for the most part-except Nick. She almost had to suspend him because he was using the AV lab watching the security footage over and over. It was taking Archie's time and anytime someone from the lab walked by and saw Greg with a knife to his throat they had to take the day off. 3 weeks this has been going on and the mixture of hope that he might still be alive, and the dread that he isn't, rested heavily on everyone. In some ways Catherine wished they would just find his body already but there was a part of her that just knew he was still alive- at least she hoped this gut feeling was more than just desperation.

Catherine looked down at the group photo of the team taken at Grisons going away party. She gently picked it up and looked down at the no-longer-kid between Nick and herself. Greg seemed to have grown up in this place. The more he learned the more he matured. He was smart, kind, and loyal, and now she realized that she might never see him again. She placed a finger on the glass by his face as if she might be able to touch him once more when there was a knock at the door. She quickly placed the frame back to the corner of her desk and wiped the tear that had unknowingly streamed down her face and kissed her lips.

"Come in," she said as she went back to busying herself with papers.

"Hey Cat, got a second?" asked Nick, poking his head through the door.

"Sure Nick, what do you need? I already approved your idea to check Lauren Gosslers place" she said still messing with the files.

"Oh, no it's not that" he said closing the door and sitting down in front of her desk. "It's about Greg's case."

"Now before you protest," Nick said quickly, seeing the exasperation on Catherine's face. "I might have found a lead."

"Is it any different from the leads we already have?" asked Catherine, finally giving up trying to look busy.

"Well yes and no. Hear me out. I was going over the tapes-"

"Again? I told you to stop watching them. I don't want to have to suspend you Nick!" Catherine said irritated.

"I was watching them on my own time and on my own computer so no one would see. Anyway it's about the yellow O symbol on the back of Yoder's truck." Nick said.

"We've been over this Nick. That symbol could be from anywhere," said Catherine leaning back in her chair.

"Yeah, but I looked for every possible meaning for the symbol and cross referenced that list with Yoder's past known destinations. It turns out that Yoder lived in Oregon for 4 years, more than any other state, and there is a college football team that uses that symbol. Yoder must have taken Greg back to Oregon," Nick exclaimed getting more confident saying it to someone else.

"He also lived in Idaho, Washington, Nebraska, and every other west and Midwest state in America, including parts of Canada and Italy and those are the only known places we know. Any one of those places could contain the symbol and even then, who's to say that Yoder would take him to the place of origin anyways?" Catherine said, losing patience and a little annoyed at Nicks determination at the moment.

"But he never spent more than a month in one place. Think Catherine! Yoder's been traveling for five years, he's going to want to go back somewhere he calls home and Oregon's been the longest recorded place he's ever been!" Nick said determined to convince her.

"Nick-" Catherine started.

"No listen Catherine," Nick said as he got out of the chair and began to pace the floor. "I have a feeling about this. Yoder's in Oregon- with Greg. All we need to do is narrow it-"

"Nick!" Catherine exclaimed standing up. Nick stopped pacing and looked at her, almost glaring.

"How do you expect to narrow it down? It's been over three weeks. They could be anywhere and we have to face the truth," She lowered her voice, knowing her next words would never be accepted. "Yoder had no reason to keep Greg alive."

"He's not dead," Nick said pronouncing each word with defiance. He was never going to give up on Greg until he was found.

"Besides, you would have to get permission to start combing another state on a man hunt and if that's your only evidence I guarantee you it won't be enough. I'm sorry Nick there's not much else we can do," Catherine said hating the words coming out of her own mouth.

"We can try! He demanded. His impatience and frustration was bubbling to the surface. "Why are you giving up so easily? Greg was family and you're act like you don't give a damn! There's a chance he's still alive and you're not doing anything!"

"Because we can't! Do you honestly think that if there was anything that would lead us to him that I wouldn't grab onto it from the start? If there was any chance, a whisper as to where he is, I will be the first one at the scene but there are just no substantial leads that we can continue with and we both have other cases that can be solved! We have responsibilities!" Catherine said the pain emanating from her voice. Nick looked at her defiantly but simmered down leaving only the hurt left in his glare. He sat back down in her chair with his head in his hands. Catherine sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing," He said, his voice muffled by the bubble he had formed with his arms.

"I'll feel like I'm letting him down. He needs our help," he looked up at her in desperation.

"I wish we could find him. Hell I wish he hadn't been taken in the first place but there are just no leads that bring us any closer to finding him." She said looking him in the eyes. He looked just as tired as she felt.

"Yoder is going to slip up one day, hopefully soon and we are going to get him back Nick," She said. She wasn't sure what she believed though. She knew what she wanted, for Greg to be alive and unharmed, but she couldn't disregard the fact that he was in Yoder's murderous hands, where the only logical thing would be to get rid of him as fast as possible. Then again…there was that surfacing gut feeling telling her that he wasn't lying in a ditch somewhere on the side of the highway.

"Cat-" Nick began when there was a knock at the door. Without even bothering for an invitation, Brass stuck his head in the door.

"Sorry Catherine but you guys are going to want to hear this. We're meeting in the conference room," Brass said excitement etched into ever syllable and leaving as fast as he came in. Nick and Catherine looked at each other puzzled and followed suit.

"What's going on?" asked Sara as she joined them in the hallway.

"We're not sure," said Catherine. When they arrived in the room Grissom and Ray were already there. Brass closed the door behind them.

"What's going on Brass?" asked Nick.

"About 2 weeks ago, a Jane Doe was found in a car wreck off of I95 in Eastern Oregon. She was stabbed only once and bled to death. At first it seemed like an accident. The windshield was broken and a part of the glass had caused the puncture, but later analysis determined it to be a murder. They ran the plates but it wasn't registered. So they searched for missing black 1991 dodge W150's"

"Yoder's truck," Nick said excitedly. Everyone seemed to rise a little to the news. As if someone had attached strings to their backs.

"Yes. Their CSI team did their best to understand the events that took place that night but they didn't get anywhere until about three days ago when someone noticed a blood smear on the steering wheel that didn't belong to the victim. They ran the DNA. It's Greg's," said Brass relieved that he could tell them something new.

"They didn't find anyone else in the surrounding area?" asked Grissom.

"No. That's the only sign that Greg was there and it was only an inch long," said Brass.

"Greg must still be alive then. There would have been more if he wasn't!" Nick said anxiously.

"If they found out about this three days ago then why are we just now receiving this information?" inquired Ray, containing his excitement until he got all the facts. He didn't want to get his hopes up.

"They thought Greg was the murderer. They knew he was reported missing but they didn't find out he was kidnapped until today," said Brass almost laughing at the thought of Greg being a murderer.

"When are we leaving?" asked Nick.

"Actually Nick we can only spare one of us," said Brass not sure how Nick was going to react to the next part.

"I'll go," he said without a moment's hesitation.

"Sara's going," said Brass. Sara looked up a bit surprised. _Nick is not going to take this well_ she thought.

"What? But I am just as capable as her, more so because of all the research I've put in, and I'm volunteering! I'll even do it on my own time if I have to! I should have seniority!" He said steamed.

"This is why you're not going," said Catherine, gesturing to Nick's relentless anger. "I don't want you to lose control and jeopardize the case!"

"I would never do that! And you know I would do anything to get him back" Nick said vehemently.

"I do know that Nick. That's what worries me," said Catherine apologetically.

"But-" protested Nick

"You're not going and that's final," Signaling the discussion was over, Catherine opened the conference door and started walking back to her office.

"Catherine wait," Said Grissom, catching up to Catherine's angry strides. "I think Nick should go."

Catherine turned around to face her objector, confused.

"Why's that Grissom?" said Catherine as she continued walking to her office.

"Nick is very passionate about his cases, more so when it comes to someone he knows being in danger; especially Greg. For his sake, Nick will always be focused on the case and, I believe, he will never give up. And he won't be much use here. He will never be focused on any other case and Sara will never get anything done if Nick keeps calling her every five minutes for an update," Grissom lowered his voice. "I think it might help him move on too if it turns out the worst has happened. He will only blame himself if he stays here. Plus, I trust him." He leaned against her doorframe, having explained his way to her office. She had leaned against her desk listening patiently as Grissom explained his reasoning. She always trusted his judgment but she wasn't too pleased with idea of sending an emotionally unstable Nick onto a case of this importance. If he crossed the line even once, Yoder could walk and get away with taking Greg. They didn't have any solid evidence they could pin Yoder with. The only evidence they had was the convenience store owners' statement. She trusted Nick with her life but she wasn't sure he could handle it.

"Do you think he will be able to control himself?" asked Catherine.

"I know he won't do anything that might prevent him from saving Greg," said Grissom. She gave him a leery, half glance and waved her white flag of surrender by releasing the tension she didn't know she had-realizing he was probably right again. Grissom smiled at her and walked away. She walked back to the conference room and found Nick sitting by himself with head in his hands, totally devastated. She just stood there looking at him for a minute, quickly going over why she was changing her mind.

"Nick," she said softly. He barely moved his head. "You leave on the first flight to Oregon. Start packing." She turned and left, leaving a stunned but gracious Nick by himself. He smiled and ran out of the room and to his car. _I'm going to find you Greg_ thought Nick, rekindling the hope he almost diminished not but one minute ago.

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Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews would be very much appreciated! as far as the next update, I already have the next chapter started but I must warn you, it probably won't be up for at least a month... I'm a slow writer and I'm busy...sorry! thanks again for reading though!


	6. City Blues, City Lights

I'm back! I told you guys I wasn't giving up on this story. And I can come up with a bunch of excuses for my tardiness but none of them will quite suffice for the time period it was delayed. I hope you enjoy this next tidbit. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up but I guarantee it won't take as long as this one did. :P Since I took so long to update I realize that my story can no longer be from the same time consistency as the show because Catherine and Ray are both gone. I'm just going to continue the story as if they never left. As always, if you find a mistake or something confuses you, feel free to let me know. Thank you for your patience and reading.

_CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI_

Nick arrived in the CSI headquarter in Eugene Oregon early the next day. He spent the whole flight looking through the files that they e mailed him. They had found a fiber in the bed of the truck that could belong to any ordinary tarp. The truck had hit a tree and there was no transfer from another car that would suggest that it was a hit and run. Besides the damage from the wreck, there was nothing to suggest that the car had engine problems or ran something over. She was a Jane Doe until her mother saw the crash report on the news and connected it with the absence of her daughter. Hannah Peters was a 24-year-old college graduate with hair like fire. She was traveling back home to meet her new nephew.

The family claimed that their daughter never drove a black truck. She had a Nissan Sentra. That's when they started treating the case as a homicide. They re-searched the truck for clues and found that the driver's seat was pushed too far back for her to be driving. Then they found the blood on the steering wheel, which did belong to Greg and then 3 days later they contacted them.

Nick knocked on the door to head detective Paul Charity's office and walked in when he heard a gruff "come in." The walls were covered in green and yellow memorabilia. There were angry ducks with green t-shirts on. On one wall was a giant yellow O.

"You must be Nick Stokes. We were expecting you," said Paul. Nick turned to see a tall brusque man with a military haircut, standing behind his desk. He reached out and shook his hand. "Please excuse the décor, I'm a big supporter of the Oregon Ducks. My son plays soccer there."

"I was just noticing the yellow O. It looks exactly like the one on the back of Yoder's truck." Said Nick. He sat down in a seat across from Paul.

"It seems to be the same symbol yes. I assume you want to get right to work then. I know I would in your position." Nick nodded. "Okay then. I assume you read the file on the way here?" Nick nodded again. "Well we brought all the evidence to a conference room for you, the truck is in the garage across town. If you will follow me." Paul Charity led him to the conference room. Nick began to sift through the files. He looked over the girls clothing, the tarp fiber, and the pictures. There just wasn't enough evidence to prove that Yoder was there. Nick decided to check out the truck. He headed over to the garage and began going over the bed. He went over every inch of that truck twice before he sat down defeated. He stared at the truck willing it to give up its history like an interrogation. He breathed in to calm himself and thought again. Then it hit him- the passenger seatbelt. Greg would have been sitting there but he couldn't have done his own seatbelt, not with that neck wound. Nick pulled the passenger seat belt out and saw blood covering a large section of it. It made him sick but he had to concentrate. He took the fingerprint dust to the seatbelt buckle and got a partial. He smiled to himself and took the partial back to their lab.

Nick was waiting in the lab when he got a phone call.

"Nick stokes," answered nick.

"Nick its Catherine. We have a lead on Greg's case. There was a body found in Nebraska with a rolled up note stuck in her nose written in Greg's blood. The note said 1201. We think Greg is trying to lead us to them. Does that mean anything to you? Does it match anything you found over there?" Nick thought hard, but nothing matched those numbers.

"Nothing sounds familiar but I will keep an eye out for it." The computer started beeping. "I did get Yoder's fingerprint on the truck so we should be able to get him for the murder of the girl."

"Well that's good. I won't be satisfied until Greg is home though."

"I'm trying Cat. There's just not much to go on. I feel stuck again." Nick put his hand to his temple trying to rub his brain into working.

"Nick…if you...if Greg isn't…don't blame yourself. You're doing you're best."

"That's easier said then done Cat. I'll call you when I land in Nebraska." Nick hung up the phone and left the building to get some coffee. He went to a café around the corner and sat by the window with his head in the file. He got tired of reading the same words and looked out the window to the cars passing by on the freeway. He went over the numbers Catherine gave him. He knew his next stop was Nebraska but he didn't know what Greg was trying to tell them. 1201. 1201. 1201. Just then he got a text from Sara. [b strong. U will find him. 1 believe in you.] Nick sent her a quick "thanks". Then he reread Sara's message. "1 believe in you." "1." _I read the one as an "I."_ Nick wrote the numbers down on a napkin. Then he switched the ones with I's. Now it read I20I. It still didn't look like anything. Then he saw that He looked it over and it still didn't mean anything to him. Nick slammed his hand down on the table. The other customers looked to him surprised. He gave them a quiet apology, gathered his things, and left. He stood outside in the fresh air just staring at the cars. Then he saw the green sign across the street. It said "I5 east" with an arrow pointing to the left. Nick rushed to the lab and into Paul's office.

"I need to see a roadmap right now." Nick exclaimed. Paul got a roadmap pinned in the conference room . Nick looked at Nebraska but didn't see an I2 or I20. He looked at the other roads.

"We need to call Nebraska State Police. We need to set up a road block."

Three hours later Nick was sitting in a police car blocking route 20's path into Iowa.

"What made you think they would take this road?" asked the police office in the drivers seat.

"Well that note had to have been placed by Greg. The killer would have placed it in a more obvious place. The one's could have been I's so I switched those. Then I also thought that writing that small is difficult, especially in blood. So maybe he wasn't able to complete the lettering so he simplified it, making the R's I's. That would make us look at the roads, specifically this one." Said Nick. The police officer looked at him oddly.

"That's a lot of guesswork." He said.

"That's all I have to go on though. I can't think of any other reason why Greg would write those specific numbers. He would put his best chance on that paper." Nick stared out at the empty landscape. As time passed on he hoped he wasn't too late or worse, completely wrong. _What if Greg DID mean something else? What if he had failed Greg and he's being murdered right now?_ Nick felt worse and worse as noon became dusk. The chief state officer knocked on his window.

"Mr. Stokes, we have to turn it in. There are other pressing matters." Nick stepped out of the car.

"We just need to wait a little bit longer. He's coming and we need to be here when he does or else we have to wait until the next dead body." Exclaimed Nick.

"I'm sorry your friend has been kidnapped, but we can't spend anymore time on this guess." Said the chief.

"It's not a guess. I know Greg. I know what he would write. He's going to be here I guarantee it!" said Nick. The chief looked at him sadly.

"Okay half an hour. Then we turn it in. Got it?" said the Chief.

"Fine." Just then the walkie-talkies went off. _A blue sedan headed your way. Dark-haired male driving. No passengers. _Nick looked ahead where the sun was setting and saw a car begin to slow down to a stop in 50 feet in front of them. It was Yoder. Nick locked eyes with him as he pulled out his gun and aimed for his head. Yoder gave him a cocky smile then reached for something on the passenger seat. He opened his door and pulled out a badly beaten Greg Sanders. Nick had to restrain himself from running to his ailing friend. Yoder had pulled a gun out and put it up to Greg's head. Greg looked at Nick for a split second before looking at the ground sadly. Nick could tell that Greg had grown scars within him He had been through something that completely broke his spirit.

"It's all over Yoder. You are going to jail for murder. Now release Greg so we don't have to shoot you." Yoder stared intently at Nick then whispered something in Greg's ear. Greg began to struggle with Yoder's hold immediately as he scoffed.

"I don't think it's that simple Nick." Said Yoder as he pressed the gun further into Greg's neck.

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I love cliffhangers. mwhaaahaahaa. Thanks again for reading.

–_Pinazee_


	7. Red Halo, Red Blood

**Authors Note**: Taking almost a year off from writing the same story really messes up the format. There will probably be some inconsistency and I apologize for that. I also want to inform you that all my knowledge about how police investigations go is from watched shows like CSI and I have the memory of a goldfish so idk if my info is correct… enjoy.

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Three weeks ago…

Hannah Peters rubbed her tired eyes once more as the headlights of a passing car drove by. She opened her window a crack and pulled her sweatshirt closer to her as the chilly air wrapped itself around her like a blanket. She pushed her red hair out of her face and took a swig from her coffee. _If it were up to mom, my hair would be in a tight bun to "keep the boys from being overwhelmed by the color."_ She thought. Hannah had a rough relationship with her mother. They never agreed on anything besides agreeing they can't agree. Hannah had just finished art school in Nevada, majoring in graphic design but her mother never approved and didn't attend her graduation. She wanted her to do something more stable like accounting. The last time Hannah saw her mother they had a big fight over her missing her graduation. Hannah was visiting in Eugene Oregon for Christmas- her mother had started on her again and Hannah had run off slamming the door behind her. It wasn't always that way between them. They used to see movies together and have mother daughter sleepovers. When they lost her father and sister in a car crash, it all changed. He had fallen asleep at the wheel. Her mom wanted her to stay close but Hannah needed freedom.

She shook off the bad memories, turned on the CD player, and started blasting Band of Horses.

(_hey little Darlin', Sweet love of mine_).

As she sang along, her eyes spotted a truck head first into a tree on the side of the road. Her heart skipped a beat. She slowed the car down as she drove and saw a figure lying on the ground. She flashed back to her father and sister, remembering how much it hurt to lose them, and decided to turn around. She pulled over beside the truck, with the headlights pointing at the person on the ground leaving her car running.

(_And all that you seek, All you set out to find, Don't let anything, Change your mind)_  
She got out and ran to the still figure splayed out on his back. He was a little bit older than her with blood all over his neck. Her jaw dropped as she saw a gash in the side of his neck. She panicked and froze there just staring at him. Then she shook her head, mentally yelling at herself to stay focused. She saw that he was breathing and didn't notice any wounds that needed immediate attention. The left side of his face was bruised and swollen but didn't look serious. She tapped gently on his shoulders.

"Can you hear me? Are you okay?" She looked at his head using what little light there was from her car lights, and felt the back of his head. There was nothing to suggest he had a concussion. When he didn't respond to her heart was beating even faster. _Oh God! Oh God! I am not prepared for this!_ She thought. Then the man began to open his eyes. She let out the breath she hadn't noticed she was holding onto.

"Are you okay?" She asked. He struggled to move his lips but he couldn't make a sound. "I'm going to try to lift you and take you to my car." She grabbed underneath his arms and struggled to lift him. He was a small guy but he was dead weight. His torso left the ground but his legs were dragged behind him. She would move him four feet before she had to put him down and catch her breath. Then she started again all the time trying to reassure him and herself. "It's going to be okay sir. I'm going to get you to a hospital as fast as I can." She wasn't sure if that was true but she wouldn't be able to move her legs if she didn't distract herself.

Then out of nowhere a man's booming voice reverberated from in front of her.

"Is he okay?" asked the man. Hannah looked up to see a dark haired man running towards them. She almost dropped the boy she felt so relieved.

"I think so. Help me carry him to my car." She started to drag him again when she heard a moan. The man she was carrying rolled his head to look at her and moved his jaw as if to talk.

"I think he's trying to tell you something." Said the stranger. Hannah set him back down and put her ear next to his mouth. The man struggled to move his lips. It took her a couple efforts to understand what he was saying.

"Run," he rasped. She looked down at him confused.

"I don't understand. Run what?" He stared into her eyes and then looked towards the stranger, and that's when she understood.

"What did he say?" Asked the tall man. She looked around and realized she never heard him pull up, never saw headlights. She looked around frantically but didn't see a third vehicle.

_(__You got me where you want me, Where you want me)_

She stood up frightened and starting backing up to her car. Each step felt further and further away from safety. The man smiled.

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The chilly air bit at him like a hungry dog. He couldn't move his body still and Greg feared that if he opened his eyes he wouldn't be able to close them. He heard a vehicle pull up and the sound of a door opening. Soft music radiated from the car as footsteps approached him.

(_Don't let anything change your mind_)

He could smell the most beautiful perfume swirling around in the air. He could here the shaking breath of someone above him.

"Can you hear me? Are you okay?" Asked a woman. Greg never felt so relieved. He focused on trying to move his lips but nothing came. The last thing he remembered was Yoder putting a tarp over him. _Maybe he let me go. Maybe he thought I died._ Greg thought. He didn't care what the reason was but he was safe. She was going to save him. Something didn't feel right though. It nagged at his subconscious. He suppressed the urge to think to hard about it. He wanted to go home and she would take him there. He slowly opened his eyes to see his rescuer and was surprised to find a red halo surrounding a young face above him.

"I'm going to try to lift you and take you to my car." Greg felt her pick his arms up and drag him off. He tried to help but it was taking all his effort just to keep his head from rolling all over the place.

"Is he okay?" asked a familiar voice. Greg stopped breathing and lifted his eyes slightly to see Yoder glaring at the young woman. He screamed but nothing escaped his mouth.

"I think so. Help me carry him to my car." Said the woman. Greg's heart began to beat faster. He tilted his head back to see the girl and forced a sound out of him.

"I think he's trying to tell you something," said Yoder. She set him down and leaned over him. He focused so hard on his mouth that he thought his brain might burst from his skull.

"Run," he finally rasped. She looked down at his sad eyes and saw the panic inside him. She looked to Yoder.

"What did he say?" he asked. Greg saw the girl look around then start to back off towards her car.

_(__You got me where you want me, Where you want me)_

Then she took off. He heard her footsteps getting farther away until he couldn't hear her at all. Yoder came, stood above Greg, and looked down.

"The chase is half the fun." He said. Greg saw Yoder take off after the girl then he heard nothing. He kept struggling with his useless limbs. He was able to get some motion in his toes and fingers when he heard a scream in the distance. He looked up into the darkening sky and felt helpless. Never had he felt so helpless in his life. Not even during the gang beating. He heard footsteps coming towards him and looked over to the truck to see Yoder placing the girl in the back. He walked over and threw Greg over his shoulder and leaned him up against the right side of the bed. He looked down to the girl whose hands had been tied together and to the side of the truck. Her ankles were also encased in duct-tape as well as her mouth. They looked at each other and reflected the others terror. Yoder came back with a large sharp glass fragment in his left hand.

_(It's harder to recall, Havin' many bad times, Or the frame of my mind) _

"Greg, meet Hannah Peters. She's a recent college graduate, has one brother and a dog named Bug." Hannah looked at him puzzled. Yoder held up her purse. "You can tell a lot about a woman from the contents of her purse. Hannah this is Greg Sanders. He is going to be our special guest for the evening." Hannah looked over to him and Greg looked down ashamed. Yoder jumped into the bed of his truck and pulled Hannah's ankles towards him. She tensed her body and tried to kick him away but Yoder was three times her size. Yoder stared down at his prize with thirsty eyes.

"You are lucky Greg. She has such a beautiful face to remember. The first kill always follows you- intruding your dreams, your very soul. They are a part of you as much as you are a part of them. It's an unbreakable bond you don't see but feel."

Yoder looked off into the distance as if remembering something pleasant then looked to the young woman who had begun to cry. Greg's heart skipped a beat. He wanted to shove Yoder away from her and take her into his arms and run. He needed to save her from Yoder- from himself.

Yoder grabbed Greg's hand and clasped it around the shard of glass. It was cold and all the edges scratched his dry hands. He tried to yank back but only felt a shudder run through his body. Yoder teased her shirt open around her belly to reveal smooth pale skin. He scratched a small x into her stomach. She whimpered.

"X marks the spot Greg." Yoder lifted Greg's hand still clasped around the glass and crashed it into her stomach. She screamed into the duct-tape, Greg closed his eyes, unable to see the pain he just inflicted on this innocent woman. Yoder grabbed his face and put it right next to hers.

"You need to pay attention Greg, this is the best part. We have about 3o seconds before she bleeds out. Every second she lays here, her soul is seeping to the surface just bursting to get out. It's all in the eyes. That moment when it finally leaves, that's when the connection is formed. You are going to be the last thing that she sees." The woman looked away, making a small protest to his words but he forced her to look at Greg. They studied each other's faces unable to lock eyes. Greg twitched his mouth open.

"Sorry. So sorry." Was all he could mumble out. She looked into his crying eyes and nodded to him and began crying again herself. Yoder placed Greg's right hand onto her stomach and pressed down. She screamed again, pain emanating from her very core. Greg could feel her soft skin, the warm blood seeping out of her wound. She felt her body shudder and then she was gone. Yoder finally released his hold on his neck. He reached over and closed her eyes.

_(You leave me more damaged every day, you took my world and threw it away) _

"May she rest forever in your mind." Yoder grabbed Greg and tossed him into the Passenger seat of her car. He reopened one of the wounds on Greg's wrist and slammed the door. Greg watched as Yoder put on gloves, moved the girl to the front of the truck, and began to clean up. Greg watched as he wiped down the inside of the truck and moved the dirt to replace footsteps. He took something from the girl and grabbed the tarp before he came to the car. He put the car in drive and started down the highway.

"I got you something Greg." He pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on Greg's lap. It was the Fall Out Boy pin that was on her jacket. Greg moved his fingers to feel the smooth surface of the pin.

"It's a souvenir," said Yoder. Greg grasped the cold metal as hard as he could. He looked out the night sky and saw red halos everywhere.

_(Leave the pieces where they lay, and I pray for you to return, There's no sign, and I'm sleeping with my one eye open)_

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Thanks for reading! The first song is Long Vows by Band of Horses, the second song is Heartbreak on the 101 by Band of Horses. As always, if you are confused by anything let me know. Just FYI, I have 2 others chapters written, but I'm still filling in minor details. So you have 2 more chapters for sure on the way at some point in the near future.


	8. Reasons to Live, Reasons to Die

**Authors Note**: Again, any inconsistency in the story is completely by accident. Feel free to let me know if my writing confuses you.

Hey, if any of you want to guess as to what will happen at the standoff, I can reward who ever guess's correctly with either chapter updates before anyone else or I can write a story for them. if your interested.

3 weeks is the limit cause by then I'll have the standoff chapter up. And I just realized that that is the time span that Greg was gone from the gang. :P

Enjoy.

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Greg stared at the far wall of the room and into the nightmare he just encountered. He knew there was nothing he could do and yet he still felt guilty. Just for being there. Yoder was wrong on one thing though. He didn't see her face everywhere- it was her fiery hair glowing from the lights of her car. It taunted him with the promise of freedom. Seeing her figure above him he felt safe, that he was going to return home. It was when he didn't see her shadow that reality sank back in-she died, and he was still in Yoder's unstable hands.

Greg had been taken to some sort of house, but he didn't know where. Once Greg was able to move his hand fully, Yoder had tied him up and put him in the backseat of Hannah's car. Once they got to the house, and that had taken days, Yoder had driven into the garage and parked the car. Yoder came around and helped him out of the car. Greg looked around for any clue as to where he was but the only thing in the garage was a group of cabinets on every wall. Yoder then took Greg in the door after typing on a security pad, which led to a kitchen and then a dining room. They walked past the living room, which had an entire wall lit up with TV screens and a couch in the middle of the room facing them with a laptop. Yoder had put Greg in a bedroom with a small bed, a bathroom with no door, and a dresser. Yoder had opened the dresser to grab something. Greg peaked inside and saw hundreds of different binding devices inside. There was duct-tape, varying sizes of rope, zip ties, and handcuffs. Yoder pulled out fuzzy purple handcuffs.

"Though you might like to put your aching wrists on something soft." Mocked Yoder. He attached Greg to the bed frame and walked out. As Greg laid there, he realized there was something odd about the house. All of the rooms had pretty much nothing in them besides the basics. The living room looked like the AV lab and the oddest thing was that none of them had windows.

"Help!" He yelled. "Help!" Greg yelled again and again then Yoder walked in with a tray of food.

"Yell all you want Greg no one can hear you," said Yoder. He set the tray at the foot of the bed and took his handcuffs off. Yoder turned his back and in that split second, Greg took his chance. He looked at the open door and took off. He tried the nearest door but it was locked. He tried another, and another, but all of them were locked. He was banging on the door in the living room when Yoder walked in calmly.

"You can't get out. Think of it as a prison-but with better security." Greg turned around to face him. He couldn't leave. He thought he might have had a chance, but now he realized he never stood chance against Yoder. "Do you remember what I told you in the beginning?" He waited for him to respond. Greg shook his head. "Stop struggling. You will leave when I want you to leave." Heaving all of his might, Greg gave him the most spiteful determined look he could muster.

"They will find me. And when they do, they will kill you." Greg walked off back to the room and started eating the food Yoder had given him. Yoder walked in, leaned up against the bed frame, and watched him. Greg would have been more disturbed by him but he was too hungry to care. When it finally sank in his stomach like a rock, he turned to Yoder.

"Why am I still here? You can't get ransom for me, and I'm not your usual type of vic- captive." Greg couldn't bring himself to admit he was victim. Yoder just smiled at him.

"I don't think you are ready for that answer quite yet. Would you like to hear a story instead?" Greg reluctantly nodded. "There was once a serial killer in New Mexico who would cut out the heart of husbands and force the wife to eat it. He killed 13 couples before he got bored and stopped. No one caught him. In California, a serial killer stabbed young men with a corkscrew, taking his time twisting it in. He killed 7 men but got bored and stopped. He was also never caught. In Oregon, a 13-year-old boy pushed his father into a working saw. He felt the power rush through him and he began planning for his next kill. What do these men all have in common?" Greg shrugged. "They were all me." Greg's jaw dropped as Yoder walked out laughing and slammed the door. They underestimated him more than he originally thought. Greg laid down on the bed and stared into the mirror above the bed avoiding his reflection. _I'm never making it out alive_ he thought. Greg curled up, completely numb inside.

Greg stayed locked up in that room for what seemed about five days with little to no interaction with Yoder. He was left alone for the most part with his thoughts. On the fifth day Yoder came in with a bag of clothes.

"Today's the day Greg. I thought you might want some fresh air. Get cleaned up we are going on field trip." Greg went into the bathroom. His neck and wrist wounds had almost completely healed by now but he had the beginning of an extensive beard on his face. He shaved it off and took a refreshing shower. Yoder was waiting for him when he got out and wasted no time getting him tied up and put in the trunk of a vehicle he's never seen before. Greg didn't like the dark. His imagination would create spiders everywhere, crawling all over him; shadows would jump out at him. He closed his eyes and tried to go to a beach with the gang and his parents. But Yoder always showed up- the red halo following closely behind.

* * *

_Did I leave the coffee maker on? I had a cup but did I press the button? Ugh! Why do I go through this every time?_ She thought. Patty Drake labored through her 2nd lap around the park at 5:30 in the morning. It was the only time she got to herself, what with being a single mom with two teenagers and a demanding job as a publisher. This is the one time she gets to be herself. Every step she took, she took for herself.

As she started walking back to her car she saw a figure lying in the grass ahead of her. _Just a hobo_ she thought. When she walked by though she saw a young man with a bleeding temple. Her heart began racing as well as her mind. _Do I still remember CPR? I've never done it on a real person. What if he's dead? I don't know how to bandage wounds._

"Are you okay? Hello?" She tapped on his shoulders. The young man stirred awake. His eyes opened wide. He went to sit up but his head urged him to stay down.

"It's going to be okay. I'll call an ambulance," she said as she went for her cell phone.

"Run," he said quietly clutching at her wrist. "Run!" he said louder, trying to push her away. She looked around confused but frightened. Then she felt a shadow fall over her and the world turned black.

* * *

Greg was sitting in the corner of a gray room, tied to a metal chair that was bolted into the ground. His head was still splitting after Yoder had hit the back of his head with a bat and the bright light above him made him squint. The walls were lined with cabinets with big padlocks on them. Yoder had left one open and inside were stacks and stacks of different hammers, saws, and other tools. It looked like a horror movie. He stared at the woman, not wanting to think about what those tools had done to people. She was lying on what looked like a surgical table in the middle of the room with her hands cuffed to the sides.

It was just like last time. Another woman had come to help him, and he was going to get her killed. Yoder had taken Greg to a park and walked him towards a large tree. It had been days since he had seen daylight, or smelled the fresh air. Being secluded like that was pure anguish. Besides being in the hands of a serial-serial killer, he couldn't help being happy to smell something besides the disinfectant that seemed to have been permanently attached to his skin. That was when Yoder had hit him across the head and he blacked out. He didn't wake up until the lady had come and by then it was too late. She never stood a chance, just like him. What Yoder wanted, he got.

She started moving and slowly opened her eyes. She looked over to Greg at first confused and then terrified as she realized what had just happened.

"Help me, please," she begged him. Then she saw that he was tied as well. "Help! Somebody help!" She shouted.

"It's no use. These walls are soundproof," he said. She looked over at him pathetically and started crying.

"What are my kids going to do without me?" Greg looked away, unable to answer the pleading mother.

"What is he going to do to me?" she finally asked.

"I don't know," he said.

"Bullshit! Tell me what is he going to do to me. Is he…is he going to uhh rape me?"

"I don't think so," Greg said _At least she won't go through that pain, _he thought.

"Why are you here? How long have you been with him? What's your name?"

"I'm Greg. Yoder took me from my lab- I'm a CSI from Las Vegas- about a week ago and I have no idea why I'm here." She looked at him sadly, aware that this man was in the same predicament as her.

"I'm Patty. Patty Drake." She paused, her eyes watering. "Could you do me a favor? If you get out of this, can… can you make sure my kids are okay? I need to know they will be okay." Her desperation oozed out of her like an open wound. Greg shook his head, unwilling to believe that this woman was a mother, that her kids are going to lose their mother.

"How old are they?" he asked. Patty started talking about her kids to distract herself from thinking about the pain she was about to go through.

"My boy Mark, he's almost 16. He knows how to take care of himself and his sister. He just needs support and guidance. He's a great basketball player and a straight A student, he should be fine for college. My daughter, Meg, she is 10. She is going to have a hard time dealing with…this. Her brother will help but she needs to know I'm not going to…suffer" That last word dropped off her tongue like acid.

"Promise me?" Greg looked taken aback at her trust in a stranger- the task to take care of her kids. He wasn't sure he could do it, let alone if he was going to survive himself.

"I don't know if I can. I'm not sure if I-"

"Promise me!" she said forcefully. Greg looked at her and realized this wasn't about trusting a stranger; it was about making sure she could move on knowing her kids will be okay, that she could die with peace of mind-well for the most part.

"I promise." She let herself cry in front of him, giving up all dignity in the face of eminent death. Just then Greg remembered something.

"Patty, what town are we in?"

"Twin Falls."

Just then the door opened and Yoder walked in.

"Did you guys get well acquainted?" he asked as he climbed on top of the table and straddled her.

"Please let me go! I won't tell anybody I promise! Just let me go home and hug my children! They need me!" she begged. Yoder began stroking her auburn her.

"I watched you running in the mornings. I just knew you were the one. You are here to teach a lesson to our young friend here." He gestured towards Greg.

"Just tell me then!" Greg shouted. "Tell me why I'm here!" Yoder reached beside him and picked up a knife. Patty began pleading again but he ignored her. "Please just tell me! Please!" Greg pleaded with him as well. Yoder gently stroked her bare stomach with the tip of the knife all the way to her sports bra.

"X-marks the spot, Greg," said Yoder as he carved a small X into her skin. Without any mercy, he forced the knife into her stomach. She gasped in pain and began to shudder. She looked over to Greg.

"Promise," she whispered. "Promise."

"I do. I promise." She smiled to him and was gone. Another soul taken by deaths greedy arms.

"You wanted to know why you're here." Yoder got down from the table and got face to face with Greg. "You are here to prove scientists wrong. Serial killers aren't born, they're created. They choose to kill. I'm sick of them getting away with murder because they're 'sick'. According to them, traumatic experiences can cause a chain reaction of trauma. Head Injuries, rock music- all the root problems of serial killers. By resisting the urge to kill throughout this experience, you prove my point. And if on the off chance that you do like to kill in the end then I've successfully created another me. Either way I win. Like I told you I would.

This isn't a game Greg. It's an experiment." Yoder got up and left the room, leaving Greg with a promise to a woman he wasn't sure he could keep.

CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI!CSI~!CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI!~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI~CSI

I just realized that the timeline might be a bit confusing. Chapters 7-11 are what happened to Greg the 3 weeks that he was missing. Chapter 12 is going to be the standoff… oooo :P Well another chapter done. Thank you for reading.


	9. Taking Chances, Taking Lives

**Authors Note: **

I really hope I am not mis-representing Greg... **Please remember that this is my first fanfic story…ever. **

HUGE plot gummy. Enjoy. :)

* * *

Yoder had taken Greg to multiple safe houses on their road trip. Each and everyone looked exactly the same as the one before. Greg was thrown into another small gray bedroom with locked cupboards and a table in the middle. Yoder had tied him to a replica of the chair he was tied to last time. Greg had given up fighting him a long time ago. He had witnessed two people get murdered just because Yoder was trying to prove a point. Completely helpless.

The scientist side of Greg was boiling to the surface as he traced the variables Yoder was going to put him through next. Although Yoders hypothesis was completely demented, it was a subject that was highly studied and observed. What made a serial killer?

And while Greg knew that Yoder was a complete psychopath, he couldn't help but ridicule Yoder's experiment method. The torture that he had been through, although traumatizing, wasn't making him want to kill, or lose his mind, it was making him more submissive. Greg was curious as to what the results would be had this been in an actual observation experiment and he made a mental note to look up the findings on such subject matter.

_I must be losing my mind after all_ thought Greg. Here he was, being used as a variable in his demented version of science-tortured- and he was curious about the results. He wasn't leaving this place alive he was aware of that. The distraction helped though. He kept his time occupied with trying to remember DNA extractions procedures and the different types of blood diseases. _Useless to me now _he thought. He had lost track of the days a long time ago; being trapped in windowless houses will do that to you.

The drives from house to house were the worst part about their journey. For the most part, Greg was allowed to sit in the passenger seat with his hands shackled to the door. When they started approaching the safe house, Yoder would throw him into the trunk of the vehicle he had procured that day-which was always different. The scariest part though, was that he was getting accustomed to living this way. He had adjusted his sense of normalcy and started the routine before Yoder did.

Sometimes, when they were on route, Yoder would make mysterious calls with payphones, saying stuff that looked like "yes sir," but Greg wasn't sure- he couldn't actually hear the conversation. Based on his body language, he assumed that Yoder was talking to someone he had respect for. He would stand up straighter and nod into the phone. He wondered how disturbed that person must be if Yoder looked up to him.

Greg knew he was somewhere in Wyoming, that Yoder would have to kill again soon, and that he was going to watch another person suffer at his hand. He didn't want to hear another dying souls last request, or hear their screams and pleas for mercy. It was a sound he didn't think he could ever erase from his memory.

Greg observed that Yoder had changed from the first time he had met him. He had thought that Yoder had mood swings all the time, that he was in a constant state of change, but he was perfectly content, almost giddy, after he killed Hannah for a while. Now that it was a couple days after, Yoder had returned to his mood swings and aggression. One day Yoder had burst into his room all aglow with hatred and just start pounding him.

Punch to the gut.

Broken nose.

Gasps of empty air.

Kick to the head.

Spit flying from Yoder's beastly mouth.

After Yoders flash of crazy, he would sit in the corner and just laugh looking absolutely relieved. Greg would lay curled up in the fetal position, getting more and more tired of being his psychological punching bag. It was almost like Yoder needed a fix, that taking a life was an addiction that was lethal to anyone who crossed his path.

Now as he sat in the same looking torture room as all the previous ones, more damaged than last time, he went back to a time when he was able to walk where he wanted, to a time where he was free and had a job and friends. He kept their faces in the front of his memory, etching every detail into his mind. He often wondered what they were doing and if they were still looking for him. He shuddered at the thought of him being replaced or what, if he ever returned, would be there for him. He also wondered how long the red halo was going to follow him around- how he was going to take help someone else's kids if he couldn't even help himself.

_How on earth am I supposed to help Patty's kids cope with their mother's death? _He thought. Just then Yoder came into the room carrying a larger man over his shoulders. He plopped the man down on the table and strapped him in. The man was about 40- 50 years old with graying brown hair and a short beard. His face looked strained, as if he was thinking really hard. Yoder had that gleam in his eye again as he looked down at the distinguished man with a cut above his left eyebrow. Yoder left the room for a second and brought back a laptop, placing it on a small table beside the man. He turned to Greg with a devilish grin.

"Greg. This is going to be the ultimate test. You got a taste of what death feels like but you haven't got the full affect. I think it's time," said Yoder as he turned the laptop screen towards his direction. There was some sort of home video playing. Someone was taking the camera around a house and into a bare bedroom. The person holding the camera placed it to look outside the window and Greg's heart dropped. Right outside was a familiar one story house- Nicks house- and he could see him driving into his driveway. His stomach fluttered to see a familiar face.

"This is a live feed Greg. My friend has instructions to shoot in five minutes exactly. Lets get started." Yoder pulled out a timer and placed it next to the laptop.

"What do you want?" asked Greg through gritted teeth. He stared intently at the screen, wanting to soak up part of the life he once knew. He didn't realize how much it would hurt just to see him, _oh he looked so close_! In that moment he wished more than ever that he was back in the lab. He would never complain about overtime again. Greg had even involuntarily tried to jump out of his seat to get closer but was held back by the rope. He watched as Nick opened his front door and disappeared in his house.

"First you need to know something. This is Charles Whitman." Said Yoder, gesturing to the man still unconscious on the table. "He has a wife with breast cancer, three grandchildren, one is mentally handicapped, and his son was recently released from jail. All of them depend on this one man. He was the most pathetic one I could find." He laughed manically.

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Greg, dreading the answer.

"Well Greg, you are going to kill him." He said as he unhooked Greg's hands and placed a knife into them. Greg had no words, no thoughts, just a feeling of emptiness. It took him a second to start breathing again. He looked at Yoder unbelieving that he just gave him a weapon and a task he couldn't perform. Greg stood up trying to formulate a plan through the haze of panic.

"Don't even think about it Greg. You come after me they're both dead." Yoder pulled out a gun and aimed it at him. "Kill Mr. Whitman or my friend, who is shooting this scene, will also shoot your friend." Greg looked down at the knife unable to come up with a reason why it was there. He shook away the mind fog.

"No." he said simply and put the knife down and backed away. "You'll have to kill me first."

"Unfortunately that is not one of the options. You need to choose Greg. Your friend or poor old Mr. Whitman." All of a sudden the man begin to stir on the table. Yoder quickly duct-taped his mouth before he could even adjust his eyes.

"Ahh perfect timing Charles. Even before death you cannot disappoint." Mr. Whitman jerked his head back and forth between Yoder and Greg. He yanked at his restraints, arched his back, and screamed at them behind the tape.

"Tick tock Greg. You only have 2 minutes left to choose." Mr. Whitman looked at Greg again and then saw the knife placed not to far from him. His eyes began to water. Greg's heart was racing and he felt like the walls were collapsing in on him. He yanked at his hair, dug his nails into his scalp; anything to get him to focus. He knew what the right thing was, he knew he couldn't kill anyone, not again. But it wasn't his life on the line anymore- it was Nicks. His friend, his brother in arms. How could he choose between this innocent man's life and his best friends?

"I can't." he whispered furiously. "I can't choose." Charles rolled his eyes in relief.

"One minute left Greg. I thought your friend meant more to you then that." Greg began pacing the room. He heard a clicking of a safety release come from the laptop. Nick had sat down in his dining room looking over files near the front window. _I can't choose! No one should ever have to choose! _Thought Greg.

"30 seconds." He stared at the screen. Nick was reading a file as he drank coffee, something Greg had witnessed so many times before. He knew what he had to do. Greg stepped towards the table and picked up the knife. His hand shook as he grasped the cold dead handle. He hovered over the man, who by now had started shaking like a shivering child.

"10 seconds" Yoder's face was inches from his, savoring every detail of self-hatred on Greg's face.

"6"

Unsteady breath.

"5"

Sweat dripping off his forehead.

"4"

Yoder demanding bloodshed.

"3"

No turning back.

"2"

Hand raised in the air.

"1"

Greg screamed as he plunged it into the mans gut. The timer blasted like a foghorn across the room. Yoder clicked on his cell phone as he took the knife out of the man. The man choked on the gag restricting him from some desperately needed air.

"It's done." And the video disappeared.

Greg instantly began pleading with the man for forgiveness. He started putting pressure on the wound. Blood poured out of him and onto Gregs trembling hands. Yoder stood back and admired the scene before him. Greg finally pulled off the duct-tape on his mouth. The man gasped for air.

"I had to save him-I couldn't just-he's been my best friend-I cant believe-I'm so sorry- it's just- Oh my God what have I done?" Greg's sentences ran together much like his thoughts. His eyes began watering, and tears trickled down his face in a river of grief. The man moved his hand what little he could to grab onto the closest part of Greg. Greg looked down at the unsteady hand clenched to his shirt and then into the man's face, feeling completely unworthy to look him in the eyes.

"S'okay." He mumbled. "S'okay son." Greg's tears fell freely from his face and onto the mans withering body. He gave one last shudder before losing the grip he had on Greg's shirt. He leaned over and closed Charles' eyes. He dropped into the seat he was restrained in only moments before and put his head in his hands.

"It's a powerful thing- to take another mans life." Said Yoder as he came over and placed, what would have been a comforting hand, on his shoulder. Then he kneeled down beside him.

"They say it rips away the soul. But I disagree. I think part of their soul connects with your own and makes you stronger. The trick is to harness that power and control your urge to seek out more. Soon you'll be just like me." Greg wiped at his eyes and glared into Yoder's empty ones.

"I will never be like you." He said crisply.

"You're already half way there Greg," Yoder smiled and he left Greg to sit with the body of the man whose soul now rested on his sleeves.

* * *

Yeah, Greg just killed an innocent man to save his friend. Now I am wondering if he would actually do it…

The next chapter might be a bit late because I spent most of my time on this chapter. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to write this.

Oh bt-debs, my other story Shadowman, will be started after I finish the one I did for Psych because that one is closer to the end. Thank you for reading.


	10. After Fear, Before Pain

**A/N**:…It has been a long time since I've updated. I think I technically went on hiatus… here's another chapter. I have no set schedule of when i will finish this thing, but i do have the next two chapters written, just putting the final touches. If you are still reading this story, i would like to thank you for your patience. I would also like to thank whoever decided to follow my story last, i sort of forgot about it and they got me to look at it again. :)

* * *

Clouds drifted unceremoniously across the night sky as a lonely pickup drove on the long road. Rain attacked them like bullets as wind rocked the pickup unsteadily. Yoder had a tight grip on the wheel and a fascinated gleam in his eye. He always admired nature. It could do whatever it wanted, and people had to just get through it and then pick up the pieces afterwards. It was something he also strived to do himself, but he knew better. He had his own set of rules he had to follow. That's what kept him from being caught all these years. Rule #1: get a respectful job immediately. Rule #2: Always choose people who aren't already in the public's eye. Rule #3: patience. Do not go on a spree, stick to a schedule. Rule #4: always clean up afterwards. Rule #5: leave the city once the heat gets too great. Rule #6: always follow the rules.

He looked over at his silent hitchhiker who was also staring at the raging storm. He hadn't spoken since the death of Charles Whitman; he didn't eat or drink, just followed Yoder's instructions to a T and looked out into nothing when he wasn't. Something kept coming up in his mind though. He was curious what that woman had said to him. What promise did Greg have to keep?

"What did you promise her?" Yoder finally asked. Greg didn't respond and remained looking out his window. He was picking at the handcuffs around his wrists. Yoder asked again but got nothing.

"Are you still moping about that fat old man? It was just one person Greg: a blimp on the human population. If anything, you are probably helping. There are too many people in this world as it is. Just think of us as cleaners." Yoder said with a smile. Greg leaned his head against the window. Yoder was getting frustrated. Being in his company for so long must have made his fear dwindle. He was losing control on this man and now was the perfect time to reestablish it. Yoder pulled over to the side of the road and slammed on the breaks. He left the warm dry truck to the pinching cold and rain pellets. He walked around to Greg's window, who had finally looked over to see what was going on. Yoder yanked open the door and thrust Greg out onto the muddy ground.

Yoder walked over to him and straddled his torso.

"I don't know if you have forgotten, but you are still under my control. If I ask you a question I expect you to answer." Yoder yelled, trying to be heard over the slamming of the rain. Greg looked up at him and furrowed his brow. His heart was racing, and he was sore everywhere but one thing had become suddenly clear. He put his handcuffed wrists into a fist and slammed them against Yoder's chest. Yoder sprawled out beside him as Greg raised himself to stand over him.

"You may control my actions but you will NEVER control me. I don't fear you anymore because I know the truth. You think you chose to become a killer but the truth is you're addicted because it's hardwired into your DNA. You are not in control of yourself!" Greg's legs were shaking as he said this but he had never been surer of himself as then. Yoder looked up at him quizzically then stood up hatred emanating from him like an invisible weapon.

"Let me tell you something Mr. Sanders. The world fears me. I've killed hundreds of people, most of them more imposing than you. You think one puny CSI's opinion will change anything? That you've explained my problem and now I can go about trying to get fixed. I know who I am and what I am is a serial killer. I get what I want and do what I want. You may not care for your own safety, but I know of an entire team back in Vegas just waiting to take a bullet for you. Do you want to continue with that speech Mr. Sanders? Or will you get back in the truck and do as I say?" Yoder and Greg glared at each other, waiting for the other to back down. Greg finally looked down when the helpless feeling of watching Nick in harm's way because of him came to mind. He walked over to the passenger side and got in, slamming the door. Yoder smirked and joined him inside.

"That's what I thought," He said and continued on the road to the next safe house.

A couple hours later they pull into the same looking garage as always. Yoder had shoved Greg on the floor as they got closer like usual. He helped him out of the truck and escorted him to the side door. Greg started looking around when he noticed something interesting reflecting in a mirror across the room. He smiled to himself and followed Yoder into the house and to his room. Yoder opened the closet and began rifling through the dresser. He looks over to Greg and chuckles.

"You can't be any bigger than a size 3. I might have to get you a shirt from the women's side."

Greg just looked away. He's been teased about his size since the 6th grade one more snide comment wasn't going to make a difference. Yoder threw the clothes onto the bed.

"Get changed. I don't want you getting sick before I can finish my plan." Greg looked at his handcuffs, now attached to the bed.

"How do you expect me to do that?"

"You're a smart guy right? Figure it out." He walked away and closed the door. Greg looked over disheartened. _Great_ he thought.

When Yoder returned, refreshed from a long shower, Greg had been able to switch pants but had decided to not even try to change his shirt. Yoder knew this would happen, and had brought the handcuff keys with him. Greg took this as his chance. As soon as Yoder undid the cuffs, he punched Yoder as hard as he could in the face and took off. He counted the seconds it took to get from the room to the garage and then to type in the code. Yoder was taken by surprise but quickly got over it and ran after him. Just as Greg was typing in random number into the lock, Yoder had pulled him away and slammed him into the wall.

"Didn't we just go over this?" asked Yoder angrily. Greg just smiled.

"Can't blame a guy for tryin'," said Greg. Yoder dragged him back into the room and tied his hands to the post.

"Apparently you still don't understand. You are stuck with me and if you want to make it through with as little scratches as possible, you have to follow my orders." Yoder turned his back on him and opened the cabinet on the other side of the room. "Otherwise, you force me to use disciplinary action." Yoder turned around with a torch and hammer in his hands. "A little roast and crushing to blow off some steam sounds appealing right now." Greg though shaking and scared out of his mind, became more determined.

"Bring it." He said through gritted teeth. Yoder walked over and bound his feet then took off his socks and shoes.

"Feel free to scream all you want. It soothes me." Yoder stated. Yoder took the torch and turned it on. He put it up to Greg's left foot and immediately saw a change in his color. Greg became pale, while his foot became bright red. He thrust his head back, ready to yell, and squinted his eyes to see the terrible grin on the other man's face. The pain was unthinkable; it rippled through him like nails pounding into his muscles. He tensed everywhere, bucked his feet to get away, but it was a lost cause. He wanted to scream but bit his lips to keep from opening them. He was not going to give him the satisfaction. Finally, what seemed like a lifetime, Yoder pulled it away, seeming satisfied with his work. Then he picked up the hammer. Greg breathed in deeply, trying to withhold his body from going into shock. He finally opened his eyes to notice Yoder pulling out a secret platform from the nightstand. He untied one of Greg's hands and zip tied it to the table with a little hole on the side.

"I believe it was this hand that bruised my face. An eye for an eye, so to speak. You may not want to see this. This was one of my favorites back in the day. So many men, so many broken fingers. But I think I will enjoy this one most of all."

Yoder raised the hammer and brought it down on Greg's right index finger. Involuntarily, he jumped back, both from the startling noise and from the pain. Immediately a bolt of lightning blasted his nerves throughout his entire arm. It reverberated across his chest and to his head giving him an instant migraine. His hand was pulsing as it tried to adjust to the sudden traumatizing attack. He hadn't realized he was squinting until he felt another blast of pain in his right middle finger. Another burst of lightning, intensifying the remains of the last one. Greg's eyes began to water and he could feel a pool collecting on the side. But he refused to show them to Yoder. He concentrated, tilted his head back and blinked back the tears. Then he felt another blast to his right pointer finger and couldn't stop the tears from flowing now. Yoder finally tossed the hammer aside and looked at the damage he caused on his hand.

"Was it worth it Greg? Was the pain worth it? Because I have no problem keeping this little charade up. You can keep trying to escape, and I'll keep breaking bones until you've had enough." Yoder was leaning down next to his face fully enthused with the pain written all over. Greg couldn't even bring himself to talk; his body was concentrating all its energy on trying to heal his hand. Yoder just smirked and got up, ruffling Greg's hair as he left and slammed the door. Greg sat there on his bed-sobbing in a silent room.

* * *

well I got my wisdom teeth pulled out so I had some free time and a lot of pent up aggression from the pain so ergo torture scene with Greg. FYI, that thing Greg saw in the garage will come in handy next chapter. If there are any inconsistencies just let me know. Thank you for your patience :)


	11. The Visitors

**A/N:** Huh, this chapter might lead to a sequel...

* * *

"Over in Chicago I had a woman about your age who did this for me." Said Yoder as he wrapped up Greg's hand and foot. "Tall skinny brunette- convinced her I would kill her husband if she didn't do as I said. But I got bored with the whole torturer for hire thing, and she was getting rather annoying. Apparently being a nurse didn't prepare her for all the blood. Go figure. Anyways I killed her in the end and moved to Florida not long after. The women there are much more abrasive- but that's a story for another day." Yoder finished taping his hand up and began putting the tools back in a bin under the bed.

"What did you do with her body?" asked Greg. For his plan to work he needed to get as much information about Yoder's victims as he could. After his "disciplinary action" Yoder was in a much better mood. Control came back to him and he was able to focus more on what he was doing.

"Well I wanted to leave a little something for the husband- they were so close after all. So I took out her heart and wrapped it with her-"He was interrupted with the sound of a doorbell. Greg and Yoder both looked surprised. In all the time they spent bouncing from house to house, never had they had a visitor who wasn't unconscious first. Yoder decided to see who it was. He handcuffed Greg back to the bed post, placed a piece of duct tape over his mouth, and went to close the door behind him but it didn't catch, leaving a small gap open. Curiosity was overwhelming Greg as he strained to hear what they were saying. He caught a few words but nothing more. He knew the person was a man, who Yoder must have known because he closed the door after letting him in. that or he was going to kill him. From the few words he heard though, that seemed unlikely. Then the voices got closer and he could hear them better.

"-worried that you won't keep up your end of the bargain," said the unknown man.

"After all I did for him; you would think he would give me a bigger time frame." Said Yoder.

"It's not about favors, this is about business. He has many other clients wishing to use our facilities but you have used up all our resources and are not paying for them."

"I have one more stop before this all ends, and then he will get paid. I have everything prepared already just setting the things in motion. Now you said some sort of nonsense about a mandatory check?"

"We just want to make sure you're doing what you said. We don't have any tolerance for liars or thieves."

"Right through that door." Greg quickly adjusted himself to sitting upright instead of the strained position he was in to get a better listen. The man was much shorter and stronger than the voice that came out of him. He had thick brown hair and wore what looked like a golfing uniform.

"Is this your only captive?" asked the man, as he pulled out a clipboard from his satchel and began writing.

"We get guests sometimes, but otherwise yes."

"So if I searched the house, I'm not going to find any hidden extra persons?"

"You can if you want to, but it would be a waste of time." The man continued to write then looked up at Greg.

"May I inspect the captive?"

"Greg's not shy. Are you?" said Yoder as he looked at Greg with a smile. The man put his clipboard away and grabbed Greg's chin. He was startled at this sudden intrusion and had never felt more exposed and more vulnerable in his life. His heart raced and his face itched where the man was holding it. He wanted to yank away, spit in his face, and run like hell. The man only stared at his slightly swollen face then stepped back to inspect the rest of him.

"You know, my boss is looking for a male about his type- scrawny with a good face. He might be willing to take him as payment instead, and then you would be out pf our debt."

"As tempting as that is, Greg here is essential to my final plan. I can't promise anything but if he somehow makes it out alive, he is more than welcome to have him, no payment necessary."

"If you change your mind let me know. He's not too banged up yet he would be worth a pretty penny. We'll be in contact." He began walking out of the door when he stopped and turned around.

"You know the consequences if you don't pay. But this time, we'll take everything." He said, giving Greg one last look before leaving the house. Yoder turned to him and smiled.

"Well that was pleasant. Nothing like getting threatened to start off your day. By the way, if you had any idea what that man had in store for you, you would be thanking me on your hands and knees. There are much deeper wounds to be had then the ones on the flesh. But then again, if you were to continue with this escapade of trying to escape, I know a guy who wouldn't mind breaking you for me." Greg shuddered at the thought and Yoder noticed and laughed.

"I would do it myself but that's not the kind of man I am. I have class." And he left. Greg sat on his bed in contemplation. That outcome was inevitable and he knew it because he would never stop trying. He just had to make sure he ended it before it came to that. Like a light switch, his brain flipped on and a whirlwind of ideas kept him occupied for the next three hours.

When Yoder finally returned Greg had it mapped out, but was unsure of the conclusion. There were too many variable this depended on- some that he wasn't sure he could he even do. Yoder escorted him to the usual room and sat him in the usual chair. On the table this time was a skinny yet built black woman with flowing dark hair. He hoped she was able to complete the task he had for her. Her eyes began to stutter open and the terrifying circumstance began to become clearer to her. She didn't scream though. And although it was clear she was frightened, she seemed calm. As if she thought she could just talk her way out of it.

"Greg meet Shannon. Mother of three, wife, oldest sister of seven brothers. Let's check up on them shall we?" Yoder brought out a cell phone and put it on speaker. "Try to refrain from yelling or you won't be able to speak at all. Do you want to scare the kids? Just say your good-byes." Just then a small voice came through.

"_Hello?"_

"Hello son, I'm a friend of your mommy's and she has something very important to say." Shannon began getting teary eyed and choked on her words.

"Hey baby, Mommy won't be able to make it home tonight. I uhh I just love you so much. I love your sisters and your daddy, and all of mommy's family. Could you tell them that please?"

"_What's going on mommy?"_

"Can you just tell them please? I'll tell you all about my unexpected trip when we see each other again. Look after your sisters and tell Daddy he's going to need to learn how to cook something other than burnt toast." The voice on the other line chuckled a little.

"_Why can't you tell me now? Are you on the road? Where are you going?"_

"Hey it's mommy's friend again. Can you do me a favor now? I left a package on your front porch can you go get it?" There was a small K and a then a puttering of feet on the floor.

"What did you give them?" Shannon exclaimed.

"You'll see." Yoder said menacingly.

"_Got it"_ said the boy.

"Great can you tell me what is written on the front?"

"_It's just a letter and number; C and 4." _

Shannon's eyes went wide.

"RUN AW-"She tried to warn but Yoder snapped the phone shut.

"Why? Why would you threaten my family when you already have me here?"

"Oh it wasn't for you, it was for his sake." Then he nodded his head over to Greg. "You know what you have to do." Shannon finally noticed him and quickly wore a confused expression. Greg's stomach was doing back flips as Yoder untied him.

"Can- can I have a moment to…hear he last words?" said Greg choosing his words carefully.

"By all means." Said Yoder and stood back.

"In private?" Yoder seemed hesitant but left the room anyways. Greg quickly faced the woman and began untying her hands carefully. She began to speak but he interrupted quickly.

"We don't have much time. I'm going to untie your hands but it's important the you still seem tied. I'm going to jump him and when I do so you run. Now pay attention. You want to take a left down the hallway and then a right. At the end of the hallway there will be a door with a keypad. The punch code is 5 34 28 7 2. You got that? 5 34 28 7 2 then press pound. This will lead you to the garage where there is a lever on the right side of the door. Pull on the string closest to you and it will open. Now I will hold him off as long as I can but you need run. Go to the nearest house and call 911. Tell them my name and they'll know who to send. It's Greg Sanders."

"I don't understand what's going on." Shannon was starting to panic now.

"You need to focus. Do you want to see your kids? Now tell me those numbers." Shannon closed her eyes to concentrate.

"5 34 72 I mean 28 7 and umm uhh."

"2." By now Greg had fashioned her restraints to only seem like they were holding.

"Okay, and wait- what about you? I can't just leave you here. Maybe if we both attacked him we might-"

"This man has killed hundreds of people with much better fighting skills. Our best chance is to get one of us out and you are the one with a family to look after." She looked up at him gratefully when Yoder came striding in.

"Okay that was long enough. Greg if you would be so kind as to get this over with. We have an appointment that we simply can't miss." Yoder handed him a knife. Greg held it strong and began slowly circling the table to stand next to Yoder. He stood still, trying to gather his nerves. He held the knife over her stomach and there was a moment that she thought he was going to do it but he quickly turned to Yoder and punctured his left shoulder. Yoder screamed.

"Go!" Greg yelled, pushing the knife further into him. Immediately she took off following the directions he had given her. Greg began counting aloud.

_1, 2, 3_

He had to hold Yoder off for at least 25 seconds for even a chance that she makes it. But Yoder was much stronger than him and he had only one hand to defend himself. Yoder punched him right in the jaw knocking Greg back away. Yoder went for the girl but Greg rushed him and tackled him to the ground. He pounded his left fist into his face and shoulder wound.

_10, 11, 12_

Yoder heaved him off of him and kicked him in the side issuing a grunt from Greg. He tried once again to leave but Greg kicked the back of Yoder's knees as hard as he could and made him kneel in agony. He quickly got up and Grabbed Yoder's head by his hair and slammed it into the side of the table.

_16, 17, 18_

Just a little longer and she might have made it. Right then however, Yoder got over the shock of what was happening and reached his hand around Greg's throat as he tried to shove his head into the table once more. Greg kicked out but it did nothing. Yoder's face had contorted into what could best be described as an angry dog. He put his other hand around Greg's throat and then slammed his head as hard as he could into the table. Instantly Greg crumpled to the ground into semi-consciousness. Yoder then left the room, grabbing a gun on his way, to get the woman. Just as she was opening the garage door Yoder shot twice into her back making only a slight _pew!_ noise because of the silencer. She fell to the floor gasping for air but died almost instantly. Yoder grabbed a large plastic sheet and put her on it. Then he dragged her back to the room.

Greg was still trying to stand up when her remains were dragged beside him. Devastation took over him but it had no time to settle. Yoder quickly grabbed Greg and threw him on the table.

"You are way too much trouble for your purpose." Said Yoder through gritted teeth. He hacked up some blood and spit on Greg's shirt. "I should have just sold you, got another officer to finish. But you knew the consequences and now, you need to be broken. Once and for all." Yoder left slamming the door. Greg could only lie there empty. He felt like a failure as another attempt had only made things worse. He looked down upon the woman with glazed eyes. And he got an idea. He half fell off the table and hobbled over to her and knelt. He ripped off a piece of his shirt. With nothing else to write with, he took his fingernail into the wound on his head, wincing, and wrote where he was going. I for Iowa, and 20 for the road they were on and added a 1 at the end to make it clear the "I" was a 1. He rolled up the fabric and placed it as gently as he could in the furthest part of her nose. Hopefully someone will see her, and translate it. Hopefully there are still people looking for him.

So much was riding on hope and after all he went through he just didn't see it anymore. Either way, Greg refused to be broken and decided he was going to end it himself before Yoder even got the chance.

* * *

**A/N:** Sooo a lot of things were implied. If there are some questions PM me or if I get a lot people confused I'll rewrite the beginning of the next chapter to clear things up. Speaking of which, the next chapter is going to bring us back to the present with Nick. then there's an epilogue that should hopefully clear up anything that's confusing people. hopefully, being the key word. Thank you for reading :)


	12. Broken Heart, Broken Promises

**A/N:** Finally! The chapter that I personally have been dying to write. I couldn't wait to get back to the present.

* * *

Yoder had locked Greg in that room over night with only the woman to stare at and his actions to regret. He came in the next day to dispose of the body and unlike usual, Yoder didn't say a word to him. No mockery of his size or sarcastic jab at his weakness.

"Put her somewhere nice. She- she didn't realize-it was my fault. Her family deserves closure. Don't punish them for my actions." Greg pleaded. Yoder ignored him and then slammed the door shut. Greg wasn't sure what he felt worse about; killing a man himself, or killing the woman through Yoder. It didn't matter though. The red head, the woman from the park, the forgiving old man, and now Shannon- they all died because he couldn't protect them. It is his job to help protect people and he can't even do that.

Greg then realized he had no idea how Yoder disposed of the bodies. With past cases he left them out in the open but now that hes on the run he might be burning or burying to stay concealed. His stomach dropped at this realization and the sudden truth that he was not going to last another day. Yoder would be back soon to take him to the next safe house, where he would be "taken" one last time by some man. However, death sounded more welcoming and the first chance he got he would graciously walk into it's arms.

An hour later Yoder came back and hauled Greg into a new vehicle, a blue sedan, and took off for the next house. Around this time, for the past 3 weeks, Yoder made a phone call to say they left the house and needed maids. He made a different call this time.

"Forgetmenots" Yoder said then ended the call. A minute later he got a call; Greg only heard half the conversation.

"I am in need of your services otherwise I wouldn't have left the password dumbass.

I have a young man here in need of an attitude adjustment- the permanent kind.

Nope, he's all yours for 30 minutes. He's pretty beaten up already so your heavier forms of punishment might kill him, and I need him alive.

He's about 6ft. Brownish-blonde hair-super scrawny. Just your type.

Fee? Well, seeing how I got you out of that tight spot in Oklahoma, you know, the case that almost got you the death penalty, I was thinking you could finally pay off your debt.

Look, the worst part will be the drive, it's not like I'm asking you to do anything outside your comfort zone.

Fine! Then I'll make sure the OBI gets a nice postcard of you with your last victim, I'm sure they'll love to catch the man who raped the chief of polices son.

Oh, now you'll do it. Why is it that I have threaten people to get anything done around here. I'll text you the address, meet us there in 5 hours." Yoder hung up and threw the cell onto the freeway.

Greg's fate was sealed and he began to prepare himself for death. It was at this time that he began to wonder whether or not he would get into heaven- if such place existed. He was a scientist at heart, but this whole situation made him more aware of his spirituality. He had to believe in something beyond- in something that rewarded good behavior and punished bad. Otherwise people could do whatever the hell they wanted and the end result would be the same. That's why he became a part of law enforcement in the first place- to right the wrong.

Looking back on what he had done, Greg wasn't sure he was worthy. He had watched Yoder kill two people, got another woman shot, and had stabbed a man. Not to mention Demetrius James. No, Greg had lost his innocence a long time ago and now he knew he was going to hell. But he was going to drag Yoder down with him if he could.

Greg was cramped in the passenger seat floor and desperately needed to move his burnt foot from underneath him. He carefully rearranged himself, pulling his knees in front of him and resting his bad foot on the other. Then leaned his head against the seat. He winced from the contact on his fresh head wound and his hand was constantly aching, possibly losing blood because his fingers were turning ghostly white. He didn't realize until then, when his stomach growled, how long it had been since he had eaten. His face was also swollen and bruised, making it difficult for him to breath. All and all, there wasn't a single part of him that didn't ache. One look at the blood that was starting to seep through Yoder's bandages had cheered him up though.

A few hours later Yoder had started slowing the car down. He had cursed under his breath.

"I was just about to finish!" Yoder looked down at Greg. "What did you do?" Greg was confused and it pained him to much to speak so he remained silent.

"Plans have changed Greg. There's a road block about 3 miles from here waiting for us." Greg finally felt something he hadn't in a long time- lucky. His heart began racing and his body suddenly didn't hurt as much.

"But you need to understand something." Yoder hesitated with his words- uncomfortable with sharing this much information. "There was a moment, just for an instant, that I felt sorry for you. Back at the run down gas station. There is something about you, something that reminds me of well, me. And for the first time I thought, what if it was me in his situation? You just had this look in your eye that you had faced death before. After that, I knew you were the one. The one that had to be with me when I died. Then a part of me will always live- inside of you. And only then will I remain, immortal."

Greg's stomach twisted into a knot. So that's why he had held onto him for so long. That's why he took him.

Just then Yoder stopped the car. He was breathing deeply, his heart was pumping faster and faster, and for the first time, he was scared. Scared to face death himself. But he had to remind himself why he was doing this. He locked eyes with a familiar face and gave him a menacing smile. Then he reached down and pulled at Greg's shirt collar, ushering him out of the car through the drivers side. Yoder had to help Greg stand a bit, and kept him close. Then pulled a gun from his back pocket. Greg looked at Nick for a split second, then looked down ashamed. He couldn't bring himself to look him in the eyes.

"It's all over Yoder. You are going to jail for murder. Now release Greg so we don't have to shoot you." Yoder had no such plans. He leaned in and whispered in Greg's ear.

"Do you remember what I promised you? That I would shoot your friend between the eyes myself if you got out of line? Let's see how much your friend cares about you. Willing to die perhaps?" Greg's eyes got huge and began to struggle clumsily.

"I don't think it's that simple Nick," said Yoder as he pressed the gun closer to Greg's head.

"How did you find me Mister...?" Yoder asked.

"My name is Nick Stokes. I'm a CSI from Las Vegas. Deciphering and finding evidence is my job."

"Well Mr. Stokes, you are an awful long way from home. You must really care about our man here. How much, is the question." Nicks stomach twisted and his steady hand began shaking.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Would you trade places with him?" asked Yoder. Greg immediately began shaking his head, knowing his friend would sacrifice himself for anyone. Yoder just pressed his arm tighter into Greg's neck.

Nick saw Greg's protest and forced himself to ignore it. He had been waiting almost a month for this moment. Where he could finally get him home, with or without himself. He lowered his gun and stepped from behind the police door.

"Yes," said Nick. The chief of police came up to him and grabbed his arm in an effort to keep him back.

"I don't think that is wise." he said. Nick knew he was right but that paled in comparison with saving his life.

"I didn't come here only to lose him again. You see your chance, you kill that son of a bitch but not until Greg is away from him. He is our main priority."

"Are you ladies done talking I'm a rather impatient man." yelled Yoder. They both glanced over, and the chief went back to his position."Nick, I need you to take off your vest and walk forward please." Nick did as he was told and started coming forward. He stopped about 10 feet away.

"Now let Greg go." said Nick carefully. Yoder began talking directly to Greg again.

"I told you that this was an experiment. I told you I wanted you to become more like me. But you already are, and now you will never forget me. No one will."

Nick knew it was coming, that Yoder had no intentions about taking him away but he wasn't prepared for what happened next. Yoder quickly faced the gun at Nick, but before he could pull the trigger, Greg wrapped his right arm around his, and with his left hand, yanked the gun back towards his stomach, and pulled the trigger. Nick released the breath he was holding, and panicked as he saw Yoder and Greg both fall to the ground clutching their bullet wounds.

Yoder was laughing in the background. Nick rushed to Greg's side, kicking the gun away from the pair. The other officers ran towards the chaos, some ordering paramedics, others doing what they could to stop the bleeding.

"What did you do?" Nick said through teary eyes. Greg was gasping for air, finally taking a hit he couldn't get up from. But Greg had to get his message across.

"Patty Drake kids, watch over them. Shannon family, house has bomb. Charles Whitman other victim. Promised I would take care of them." Nick looked around.

"where are the paramedics!" He yelled angrily then looked down at Greg. "Why are you telling me this Greg? You're going to be fine, and you can keep your promise. I need you to come home. We need you. Please, don't let go." Greg let a tear fall from his eye.

"Is he dead?" he asked almost in a whisper. Nick looked over to see that Yoder was still being worked on. Instantly hatred filled every ounce of his being.

"Not yet." said Nick. He grabbed the gun and began walking towards Yoder. The entire scene became tense, as everyone realized what he was doing and froze in place. The chief started to get between them but it was Greg's voice that stopped him.

"Don't!" He yelled. Greg used all of his being to push away the men and crawl over to Nick. "He's not worth it. This isn't you! You are not a murderer!" Nick looked over to see him struggling to move. He rushed to his side to get him to stay still. Greg grabbed his wrist in a death grip and looked intently up at him.

"It's not worth it." he said. Greg dug his left hand into his pocket and pulled something small out and handed it to Nick. He opened his hand to see a Fall Out Boy pin, slightly bloody. Nick just closed his eyes to blink away the tears, then threw the gun to the side. Greg relaxed and finally closed his eyes.

"Greg?" Nick panicked. "Greg stay with me now. Greg!" All the officers stopped where they were, feeling the remorse coming from this man. "How far is the nearest hospital?" he yelled.

"About 20 minutes, the paramedics are about 10 minutes away." said the chief.

"Help me," said Nick as he began to lift Greg into his arms. Another man followed keeping pressure on the wound. Nick carried his much lighter friend into the cars backseat and got in the drivers side. He pulled away from the scene, kicking up dust as he turned it around at lightning speed. He turned the rear view mirror to face the back where the man was still working on him. _Hold on Greg, hold on._

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_**A/N:** thank you for reading :) stay tuned for an epilogue THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND! or not. because you guys are really smart you probably can predict the rest of this :P but imma gonna write it anyways._


	13. The Patient, The Victim

**Authors note:**

Sorry it took so long! :)

* * *

Two Days Later...

Nick was sitting in a conference room, down the hall from Greg's. He was in critical condition, but conscious. Yoder was stabilized in another room. Nick had tried talking to Greg, but he refused. As soon as he was awake, the FBI asked him about his time, and Greg had told them only the basic details- who had died, and how he got injured. After that, he hadn't said a word since. Nick was worried and figured it was about time he checked in with Catherine. He went to a spare room, and started a videochat.

"Hey Cath." Catherines face appeared on the screen. She was sitting in her office looking exhausted as usual, but much happier than he had seen her since Greg went missing.

"Hey Nick, how's Greg doing?"

"The doctors just told me he will make a full recovery." Nick looked at his hands when he said that.

"You seem to doubt them."

"It's just, how does anybody recover from something like that?"

"There was a time where we thought you would never recover either, but you pulled through and even stronger than ever." Inside she held the same fear though, that Greg would never bounce back. They knew what happened to these type of victims, they had to work with them constantly. But it never prepared them for these circumstances.

"It's not the same Cath. I was alone, and gone for about a day. Gregs obviously been tortured and for 3 weeks! Have you read the report I sent you of his testament yet?" Truth be told, Catherine was scared to learn what Greg went through. She didn't want to know how he had suffered and instead wanted to concentrate on how he was going to heal. At that moment though, there was a knock at Catherine's door. Sara was wondering if she had heard from Nick, and then joined the conversation.

"Hey Nick, hows Greg?" Asked Sara.

"He's healing slowly. Doctors actually just told me he will make a full recovery." Sara did the same gesture as Nick did earlier upon hearing the news- doubtful of how much healing he would actually do.

"That's great news. And uhh, how is Yoder?"

"He's stable. Although he's not saying anything. I don't think he's too happy with the way things turned out." This seemed to perk Nick up some. There was still the shred of a desire willing him to kill the son of a bitch, but now that his endorphins weren't running on high, he knew that he would regret it if he did.

"You actually called right in time. There's something you need to know. Rays gone.," said Catherine. Nick sort of jumped back in surprise.

"Why? What happened?"

"The final battle between him and Haskel. Haskel had taken Ray's ex-wife and long story short, Ray killed him and instead of being reprimanded, he turned in his badge and went to start a new life with his ex." Nick soaked this in. Ray didn't even say goodbye. He had only been gone for about 3 days and missed so much. Then again, Greg had missed much more than he did.

"Well, good for him. I think this job was starting to get to him anyways."

"He wished he could have stayed longer to help, but his time had come to go and he couldn't miss it. He does send Greg his best and wants to keep up to date on his condition."

"So, who is going to be the new head?" Nick had hoped for a promotion for about a year now. Catherine seemed to be reading his thoughts and thought now would be the perfect time to tell him.

"There's one more thing Nick, I don't know how to tell you but umm, you've been demoted."

"What? Why?" he said harshly. He stood up ready to pounce on the next person that talked.

"You didn't follow protocol and actually put quite a few people in danger with your whole sacrificing yourself thing. And while I thought it was brave, it was also stupid and I agree with the demotion." Nick was firing daggers at her now, unable to comprehend how he could be punished for saving a mans life.

"Are you telling me you wouldn't do the same thing?"

"I would in a heartbeat. But that doesn't make it right. You could have gotten him killed." Sara meanwhile had been looking around the room, trying to avoid Nicks rage. He started to settle down though, once exhaustion set in. It had been awhile since he had last slept and it was finally starting to catch up on him.

"You still haven't answered my question. Whose taking Rays job?"

"They're bringing in some new guy, names Russell. But until he arrives, I'm acting as head. There's one more thing. You've been taken off the case."

"Yeah, I sort of figured when I saw the FBI." For the most part, Nick was happy to be off of it. All he wanted was to catch the bastard and save Greg, and he had already done that.

At that moment, a familiar face popped into the conference room. Gil Grissom had taken the next plane out after he heard Greg was in the Hospital. Nicks face lit up when he saw him, glad to have somebody to watch Greg with him.

"Hey Gil, how was the flight?"

"Long. How's Greg?"

"Why don't you come see for yourself. I'm sure he would love to see you again." Nick said his goodbyes to Cath and Sara, then escorted Grissom to Gregs room. He knocked softly before letting himself in. Greg was staring up at the ceiling in an infinite amount of thoughts when he heard the door opening. Even though, he was out of Yoders control, he still felt like a prisoner, confined to the bed and unable to leave. Although, he was able to have his bed shifted so that he could like outside without hurting himself. He didn't realize how much he had missed something as simple as a tree. It seemed so innocent and unyielding- something he desperately wanted to be.

He looked around to see Nick and Gil coming in, worry engraved into their facial expressions.

"Hey Greg, look who came to visit." said Nick, hoping to see some flash of happiness. Greg didn't seem happy at all and instead ignored them completely.

"I'll just uhh, let you guys catch up then," said Nick as he walked out of the room. Gil came over and sat in a chair by his bed. A moment passed as Gil tried to come up with something to say.

"When we buried Warrick, I kept thinking to myself, never again. Never again, will I allow a friend of mine to be taken away from me. But I got so overwhelmed, that I forgot this promise I made and left. I thought you had been left in good hands, that you would stay protected, but now I can't even...I just should have been there for you. Can you ever forgive me?" Gil had been holding onto this for awhile. This thought had actually occurred many times, when Nick got taken, and Sara, or when Warrick died, or even as far back as the lab explosion. It was a constant thread of what Einstein would call insanity. He repeated the same thought over and over and expected different results. He couldn't hold on to it any longer and didn't realize how much letting go of these thoughts would lighten him.

"Why did you make me a CSI?" Greg finally said. His thoughts kept drifting back to the origin of this chaos and he realized, if he hadn't been made a CSI none of this would have happened. Gil was startled by this sudden change, not just in topic but his demeanor. Greg's whole body was tense and his tone bit at him.

"You earned it." he said simply.

"That's not a good enough reason. Many people deserve a million dollars but it doesn't mean they can handle it."

"Greg, you are one of the best CSI's I've ever had the pleasure of training. I don't regret my decision, and neither should you." Greg bit his lip to keep from bursting at him. He didn't understand and he wouldn't until he knew.

"Gil, have...have you read the report I gave the FBI?" Gil shook his head.

"Nick's the only one that has."

"Well there's something you need to know. Something that will change your mind. I just, promise me you won't walk away again."

"I promise."

Greg swallowed, trying to get the courage to speak.

"It started with the red-head," and Greg began to tell Grissom his whole story.

Meanwhile, Nick was in the corridor waiting for them to finish when two men walked up to him. One of them he recognized as FBI agent Derek Morgan, a tall, dark, built man who interviewed Greg earlier, and someone he didn't know that was tall but much smaller with mid-length brown hair and a stance that made him seem completely out of place.

"Mr. Stokes, this is my partner Doctor Spencer Reid, we were wondering if we could talk to you and Mr. Sanders." said Agent Morgan.

"Gregs talking to someone else right now, you'll have to wait."

"Is there somewhere else we can talk then?"

Nick nodded and gestured to the empty conference room he was in before. They sat around facing each other.

"I'm sure you are wondering why we are here. We are actually part of the Behavioral Analysis Unit. We believe your friend might be able to help us." said Agent Morgan.

"Help you with what exactly?"

"Well, upon searching the car we have found substantial evidence of a multiple serial killer. Yoder must have been collecting evidence on himself on the trip."

"Why would he do that?"

"Many serial killers want people to recognize their work, it's how they communicate." said Dr. Reid. "For example, the Zodiac Killer sent messages straight to the press claiming different victims and sending puzzles. It was his way of marking his place in the world."

"Well what all did you find?" asked Nick.

"In total, we found 28 different victims that seemed to expand over 10 years. There were 11 victims that had been stabbed in the same heart and genitals, 7 victims with limbs sawed off, 4 victims burned alive, and 6 victims with their eyes and brain removed. Now we believed this to be the work of 4 different serial killers, but now we realize it was the same man. The statistics of that alone are staggeringly low which makes him one of the most unique killers of our time. We do not have much information on his type and any information we can learn about him would greatly aid in our future of understanding, if another of his kind exists." said Dr. Reid. Nick had to take a second for his brain to catch up to the words just thrown at him.

"Didn't you guys already interview him?" asked Nick.

"We did a preliminary interview to establish the time frame and basic details. Now we need to ask specific questions pertaining to Yoder's moods and actions." said Agent Morgan.

"I don't think that's a good idea. He just got back, can't this wait until he's out of the hospital?"

"The earlier we do it, the fresher the memories and the less likely they will be confused."

"I don't think it's a good idea. He needs to recover, and that's not going to happen if you guys keep making him relive it. His safety is my only priority right now, not to get you your data." Nick stood up and left the room, having nothing left to say to the pair. They followed him out trying to get him to understand.

"The information he can provide for us could save the lives of future victims. -"

"His name is Greg." Nick said, cutting Dr. Reid off.

"Greg was the only victim that lived with him for over a day. He's the only one that can give us insight into his behavior."

"That's not my problem, I don't want you speaking with him."

"Shouldn't that be his choice?" asked Agent Morgan. "You guys are CSI's right? You should know the importance of even the smallest bit of information. Anything can help."

Nick turned around to face them, stuck between wanting to give Greg his freedom and keeping him safe.

"Fine, you can see if he want's to help. But I don't want you to push him into it." the agents agreed and followed him into Greg's room. They walked in to find Greg talking to a graven Gil.

"That's when he handed me the knife-" Greg looked up to see his visitors and immediately stopped talking.

"Greg, you remember Agent Morgan. This is his coworker Dr. Reid, they want to ask you a few questions."

"We are from the Behavioral Analysis Unit and we were wondering if you could give us some insight on Yoder." asked Agent Morgan. Greg nodded his head.

"What do you need to know?"

"Well, could you give us a more detailed description of your stay? How he reacted after being caught, how he described the victims, or how they died." Greg knew this was going to come eventually. When he would have to tell them the truth.

"Okay. Umm could we do it in private?" he asked sheepishly. Nick and Gil began to walk out when Greg grabbed Gil's wrist. "Wait. Can you stay please?" Gil looked over at Nick hoping for him to understand, but he just looked hurt and walked out.

"I'm going to let you guys talk. I need to talk to Hotch," said Agent Morgan and he walked out with Nick.

"Why don't we start at the beginning," said Dr. Reid. Greg began telling them about his stay at the gas station, showing them the abrasions that were now scars around his wrist. He told them about the red head who had tried to help him and the pin that Nick had given back to him that came from her. He told them about the first woman that was brought back to the house, and how he had promised to watch her kids. Dr. Reid and Grissom listened intently and patiently as Greg unloaded 3 weeks worth of misery. As he approached the day he met Charles he hesitated but continued on.

"Yoder handed me the knife and told me to kill him. I had 5 minutes to decide between Nicks life and the stranger." At this point Greg became highly aware of how much he needed them to understand why he did it. Grissom's stomach was twisting as he realized what Greg was forced to do. Dr. Reid was feeling rather out of place and not sure if he should be listening to this after all.

"I killed him. I had to save Nick, so I stabbed him. I did it. Not by accident but because I was too stupid to come up with a way out of it. You and Nick and all the rest of you would have figured a way out of it but I couldn't and someone died at my hands." Greg became haunted and turned pale. Grissom looked down to protect himself from anymore of this story. Reid suddenly felt the urge to leave the room and let him be.

"Greg, it's not your fault." said Grissom trying to bring some solace to him.

"It is Grissom and there's no way to make up for it."

Reid stared awkwardly at his hands and wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Mr. Sanders, what happened after that?" Greg took a moment to collect his thoughts then continued to tell them about Yoders mysterious phone calls and when they stopped on the side of the road.

"That's when I started planning an exit route. When we arrived at the next house, I was looking around the garage for anything that would help when I saw a mirror in the top corner of the room. I saw him punching in the passcode. I finally had a way to exit the house so the next opportunity I took it. I wanted to see how long it would take to get from the room to the garage and to punch in the code. As Yoder uncuffed me to change, I punched him in the face and took off counting the seconds. Yoder ended up catching me at the lock. And that's how I got these." Greg raised his right hand and left foot, both heavily bandaged. "At that point though I was ready. The next time Yoder brought someone in, Shannon, I asked if I could hear her last words privately and he agreed. I caught her up to date on the plan. I was going to hold off Yoder for as long as I could while she ran for it. When he returned, I attacked giving him that nice stab wound in his shoulder. In return I got a concussion and Shannon died." Greg looked out the window at his sturdy tree. "I just keep thinking, if I had held him off just a little longer. If I had been stronger, then Shannon would never have died."

"Greg, you can't foster this useless guilt anymore. None of this was your fault," reassured Grissom.

"But it is Grissom. I was the one who told her to run. She depended on me and I let her down. I let her whole family down."

"In the report, it says there was a note left on the body. Did you place it there?" asked Agent Reid, changing the subject.

"After the fight, Yoder was pretty eager to leave and left me untied. I used that moment to try one last attempt at being saved. I was surprised you guys were able to decipher it so fast."

"Not us really. That was all Nick, though he took your 'I' to mean interstate and thought you meant to write an 'R'." said Grissom.

"Either way we got the same result, so I'm not complaining." said Greg.

"Mr. Sanders, how did you know you would be traveling that road?" asked Agent Reid.

"That's the way we had been traveling the whole time. We went up through Oregon, and then kept going right."

"I would like to ask you some specific questions about Yoders mood now, if that's all right with you." Greg nodded.

"On that first night you were with him. Did he seem angry or surprised?" he asked. The rest of the interview went on something like that. Agent Reid asked for his moods and tempers at various times during the 3 weeks he was missing. At the end, Reid thanked him for his time and joined Agent Morgan and Nick's conversation out in the hall.

"Did you get everything you needed?" Nick asked bitterly.

"He was a very cooperative witness. I got plenty of information." Said Agent Reid sadly. They began to walk away when Nick shouted:

"He's going to be okay right? I mean you guys see vic- people like him all the time and they turn our okay?" he asked, feeling almost like a child. Agent Morgan and Dr. Reid looked at each other, not sure what to say.

"It usually depends on the-"

"He's going to make it. Just stay strong," interrupted Morgan, as Reid was about to spout some statistic and make it worse. Reid realized what he was doing, and nodded in agreement. Nick seemed to accept this answer and nodded back. Then they walked away. He started walking back to Greg's room when he heard his name and stopped to listen.

"Gil, I know Nick is going to find all this out anyways when he reads the report, but can you please not bring it up?" he asked.

"Of course, but why do you feel the need to bottle this up? Nick is and always will be there for you no matter what. He's the one who never stopped looking for you." said Grissom.

"I just, I can't stand to see the disappointment."

"He wouldn't have been. He would have been proud, we all are, because you stayed strong, you protected him. And _you_ should be proud too." said Grissom.

"I killed someone." he said plainly, still harboring self-hatred. Just then Nick decided to walk in.

"You're not the same, you and Yoder, if that's what you're worried about." Greg looked up and then away in shame.

"He kills because he can. We kill- cops, CSI's, the military- we all kill to protect those who can't protect themselves. The Greg I know, would give his own life to save another. Me to be exact. I thought I was saving your life this whole time, but it was you who was saving mine." Nick went over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, letting Greg release his baggage, the guilt, the confusion, and the pain, all into tears. Greg finally didn't feel alone for the first time in 3 weeks.

* * *

**Authors note:** Shout out to my other favorite show of all time Criminal Minds. Maybe, just maybe, I might do a crossover and I already have ideas floating around in my noggin. :) Thank you for reading, and thanks to all of those who review, they really DO keep you motivated :P


	14. Solving Crimes, Commiting Murder

**Authors note:**

I wish the show had more nick/greg moments, but alas, there is morgan/greg relationship blooming that needs screen time. Not that im complaining, i'm so happy he finally has a building relationship :) anyways, back to the story.

* * *

A week later, Greg got a knock at the door.

"Good afternoon Mr. Sanders, can we talk?" asked a tall, brute man. Greg recognized the stoic man as FBI agent Robert King. He had seen and talked to many different FBI agents throughout the week; many wanted to talk about Yoder's past cases, and Greg had truthfully told them, that Yoder never really talked about it.

"Look, I already told you guys everything he's ever told me about them. What could you possibly ask about now?" Greg's frustration was very eminent.

"Actually, I was sent to inform you about your murder investigation." He had completely forgot about that. All the time he has been owning up to Charles Whitman's death, but he never thought about the legal actions of it. He knew prison would eat him alive, but he wanted to be punished. He just wanted something to take the guilt away.

"Giving the circumstance, we've decided to sweep your case under the rug, based on the fact that you were mentally incapacitated at the time and in a state of duress." One side of him was relieved and the other was disappointed.

"However, in view of the evidence, there's a chance that Mr. Whitman's family might press charges. The lack of evidence for you particularly is amazingly negligent. And with only your testimony versus his, there's a slight chance that they might be able to prove you were a part of this." Greg disregarded his earlier feelings of guilt and went straight to rage.

"How could anyone possibly think that I was a part of it? I was kidnapped in front of at least 50 people!"

"Some might say that it was a little too convenient for you to be walking by at that time. And that it was illogical for him to take you had you not been his partner."

"Since when have serial killers been 'logical'?"

"Many are actually quite intelligent sadly. They'd make my job a whole lot easier if they weren't." He attempted as a joke, but Greg ignored it.

"Well, what about all of my wounds and ligature marks. That bastard took a frickin hammer to my hand!" Greg emphasized this by thrusting his bandaged hand in his face.

"Well, it's possible that you and Yoder got into a fight over money or something and the ligature marks could be defensive."

"This is unbelievable! If I was in on it, do you honestly think I would admit to killing him?" Greg was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He was already comparing himself to Yoder, and now they were saying it's possible he could be a partner.

"Some might say you want some glory for yourself." replied agent King. This is why they sent him. King knew that when it came to emotions he was very tolerant, almost ignorant. Where most people would sympathize with this man, he could write it off as nothing more than a job. Everything just seemed to bounce right off him.

"Mr. Sanders, I only tell you this to prepare you should the family decide to go to court. From what was stated in the wife's interview, she doesn't seem to want to press charges. She doesn't have the energy she has-"

"Cancer. Yeah I know." The man raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Yoder told me about his family. Wanted me to know how much I was taking away." For a moment, agent King felt this pull in his gut like an anchor. He felt...sad. Sad because he knew what it was like to have to take someones life but never realized what all that entailed. King had served 2 tours in Afghanistan, and never really thought about the families the men he shot had left behind. But now he did, and it ached.

"If she does decide to press charges, we, my team and I, will make damn sure you have a great lawyer."

With that statement, Agent King left, wondering if he could still keep his nickname "Stone."

Greg rubbed at his eyes so tired of everything. There was a bursting fire enriching itself, with his anger towards himself, towards Yoder, towards the FBI, towards everybody. He jumped out of his bed, pulling his IV's out and making his machines sing the song of panic. He paced the room limply, grabbing at his face and head. He saw the dishes left from his lunch, and thought they would make the perfect wall decoration. He picked it up and threw it as hard as he could against the wall. When he did that, some of his power came back to him after being vacant for 4 weeks, so he threw another dish and another. And soon he was pushing tables over, and throwing chairs, ripping curtains, and shoving everything he saw on the floor. At that moment Gil rushed in worried about the noise when he saw Greg out of breath and the room in shambles. Greg looked down but didn't care what he thought at that moment. All Gil did though, was walk over and hand him his coffee mug and nodded at the wall. And for the first time in a long time, Gil saw a genuine smile cross his face, as he hurdled it at the wall, leaving dripping brown liquid to stain.

"What on earth happened here?" Two nurses had come to check the disturbance and looked as if they were thinking about the amount of cleaning they had to do. Greg didn't know what to say to them, realizing how childish it must have seemed.

"Sometimes you just need to break something," said Grissom simply. He looked at his fragile friend and wondered if this was the first step to healing. That's when he noticed the blood on Greg's gown.

"Greg you're bleeding." Greg looked down to see as the nurses quickly rushed to his side to help. They ushered him back to his bed and started working on him. Greg noticed that Grissom looked worried.

"I think I just pulled a stitch, I'm fine." a couple minutes later he was cleaned up and back to staring out his window, though much more pleased with himself. Grissom had stayed to keep him company and talked about his travels.

"In Peru, there's a type of fly that secretes a sort of mucus on the most colorful flower it can find in order to attract a mate. You see, this particular type of fly finds it's nest by the intensity of the color on the petals and then lays it's larvae in the center with the pollen. That way, when a bee comes along the larvae will attach itself to the bee and devour it's body. To this day, it's the only insect that meet's a woman by giving her flowers."

"Nature can be really romantic sometimes," said Greg halfheartedly. At that moment Nick walked with a cart full of flowers, balloons, and treats.

"The lab tech's really miss you Greg," smiled Nick. Greg got excited and reached for card after card, reading them greedily. One particular card from Hodge's had a cat dangling from a tree with the caption, "hang in there!" He kept that one close to him.

"I think I'll go get some more coffee." said Grissom and walked out. Nick took his chair and helped Greg go through his cart full of goodies. He finished reading the last one, and felt oddly empty. Nick noticed the change in his demeanor.

"What are you thinking about Greg?" he asked. Greg was hesitant to tell him, but after he thought about it, Nick would probably understand the most.

"There was something I left out of my statement. It's irrelevant to Yoder's case." He quickly added seeing the look on Nick's face. "Before he brought Shannon, there was another guest at the house. Somebody rang the doorbell. Now, in the entire time I was with him, no one came into that house walking willingly. It was an associate of Yoder's, wanting the money he owed him. I think he was renting from them. He uhh, he came in to look at me and offered to pay for me." Greg was blushing by now, feeling completely ridiculous. "Yoder turned him down but he said that if I tried to run away again he would break me like that man had planned on doing." Nicks stomach dropped and his heart began to race.

"Did he umm.." he asked cautiously.

"Oh no he didn't." Greg said quickly. Nick felt relieved. "The thing is, after I tried to save Shannon, Yoder had made plans to do that at the next house. I heard him make the phone call on our way there. I wasn't going to let him though. Before Yoder got the chance, I was going to end it. I would rather die then go through that." Nick wasn't sure how to process this. On one hand he was mortified that Greg had planned on killing himself, but on the other hand he was thinking that he would have done the same thing had it been him in that situation.

"I think you were meant to live, or else I would never have been waiting for you on that road. The circumstances that led me there were just by happenstance. And I'm so glad I was."

"I'm not sure if I am." said Greg quietly. "I just want this all to be over with."

"From what I hear, the FBI are about to start the final processes next week. And since Grissom was filling in for you, you have a job ready when you decide to come back. If you want to that is."

"I'm not just talking about the case." Then Nick realized that Greg was still playing around with the idea of death. Terrified he tried to think of anything to keep him off that ledge.

"We just got you back Greg. You leave, and you take away a part of everyone who ever cared about you. If you don't think you are worth a second chance at least give us one. Let us help you."

"I am just so tired of fighting. It doesn't seem worth it anymore." Nick planned his words carefully.

"People always asked me, "why don't you give up? There is no way Greg is still alive." But I just couldn't. Because I knew that _you_ would never give up. That you would always fight for your life and for others.

"You wanted to beat Yoder right? Wanted to prove him wrong?" Greg nodded. "Then live, and not just that, but enjoy it. Because he set out to destroy you. That guilt you feel, I wish I could say it will go away, but it will only fade and when you feel it again, I want you to realize why you did it. And how grateful I am that you saved my life. I know you are tired of fighting, but you are not fighting alone anymore. You have an entire team to back you up."

* * *

The next day Greg was sitting alone in his room reading the local newspaper when he spotted a familiar face on the front page. The man who had visited them in the house had been found dead on the side of the road and was marked as a John Doe. Greg couldn't believe in his eyes. He never expected to see that man again, let alone in a headline.

_At 9 A.M this morning, a man's body was discovered on the side of route 5. It is still unclear if this man was hit by a car, or was left here, but we can confirm that he did not die of natural causes. Upon further interview with the Lincoln City Coroner Dr. Shmitz,the man had several lacerations all over his body, 13 broken bones and fractures, and severe bruising. If anybody has any information..._

Greg lowered the paper with mixed feelings when he got a knock at his door, interrupting his thoughts.

"Come in," he said. A larger man with a bald head and a short beard introduced himself as an FBI agent and took a seat next to Greg. Immediately Greg felt something off about him. There was a gleam in his eye, and his hands lingered longer than needed on his bed as he sat down.

"Well Mr. Sanders, I have a few questions for you as I am sure you are aware." Greg nodded, still weary of the man.

"In your report you said that Yoder had taken you to several houses that all had the same layout. Do you know where these houses are located?" Greg shook his head.

"Did Yoder ever explain how he obtained these houses?" Again, Greg shook his head.

"Why-"

"Did you ever see the outside of the houses?" he interrupted. Greg shook his head again.

"Thank you for your time." And before Greg could ask anything, the man was gone.

Greg was settled back into reading the paper when there was a sudden horn playing across the intercom, and a warning of a code Blue. Already on edge from the man, Greg cautiously got up and grabbed the best weapon he could find- a fork. He went to the door and barely opened it a crack when a police officer shoved him back in.

"Stay in your room sir, there's an emergency."

"What's going on?" but the man didn't reply, just closed the door. Greg's mind was racing. Did Yoder escape? Was he coming for him to finish the job? Was he already in the room? Greg looked around panicking when his door opened. His heart racing, he got into a fighting stance, ready to plunge the fork into Yoder's face. He ran at the man entering but stopped right in front of him as he realized it was Grissom.

"Whoa there Greg, it's just me."

"What's going on?" He asked immediately.

"I'm not really sure. They aren't telling me anything. I had to sneak my way over to your room."

"Where's Nick?"

"He's looking for the reason behind all this." A couple minutes later, Nick walks looking a little dazed.

"What's happened?" asked Greg.

"Yoder was just found, murdered." Greg couldn't believe what he just heard. The hovering presence that Yoder was, was dead.

"Can I see him? I need to make sure for myself."

"That's not really up to me. They won't let any of us see the scene. They say we're too involved." Nick, Grissom, and Greg walked down the hall and to the next floor down. Already there was crime scene tape covering Yoder's room and about 10 officers running around the place. As they approached the scene a small officer cut them off.

"You guy's can't be here, especially you." he said, gesturing to Greg.

"I just want to see for myself. I need to know that it's true."

"Well believe it, but you are not going past this point."

"He just want's to see the body, he's not going to touch anything." said Nick.

"I'm just following orders sir."

"Officer Midden, let him through." said a suited man behind the tape. He must have been the detective assigned to the case because the officer seemed to hate the fact he had to listen to him. Greg had to have the tape removed on one side so his IV line could come through. He walked in the door and notice the place was jam packed with even more officers. The suited man introduced himself as Detective Tiple and stood in the middle of the room. A black body bag was laying on the floor.

"It looks like Yoder had other enemies, which isn't surprising. He was found with duct tape over his mouth and his throat slit. It's a mess. Are you sure you want to see him?" Greg nodded.

"Alright." the man unzipped the top part of the bag, only revealing the head. There was blood covering almost his entire face and duct tape on the mans mouth. But there was no doubt. It was Yoder. His hovering presence no longer rested on his shoulders and he walked out of that room lighter than he's ever been.

* * *

**Authors note:** Next chapter will be an epilogue, that may or may not lead to a sequel. By the way, I could use a beta, or at least someone to run ideas/proof read with me. Because I miss things all the time, and could use a fresh pair of experienced eyes :) Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed at least most of it :P


	15. Epilogue

**Authors Note:** short and bittersweet :)

* * *

3 weeks later, Greg walked up to a small suburban house. The yard was littered with kids toys and weeds, with dying flower beds and a dirty porch. Greg takes in a deep breath and knocks on the door. A dog starts barking, a large boisterous bark that made him flinch and he hears a young voice telling the dog to shut up. Feet pattered their way to the door and a small petite woman answers, wearing a rag on her head, and sadness in her eyes. She recognizes the man immediately.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, not rudely, just tired and weary of the man. Greg backs away from her as if she might attack him.

"Mrs, Whitman, I umm... I just wanted to-"

"We're not pressing charges son, our lawyer was supposed to inform you." She started closing the door.

"Wait, that's not why I'm here." At that moment a young girl about 8 years old comes running to her.

"Grandma, who is that?" Greg could see Charles eyes starting right at him. He stops breathing for a second.

"No one honey, go back inside." she ushered the little girl away and walks outside closing the door. She gestures to the seats outside and he follows her.

"I can't help you." she says plainly. Greg looks up at her saddened.

"I know why you killed my husband, some other officer told me you were protecting him. If that had been me, I would have done the same thing. But that doesn't change the fact that the man I love is gone, and you were the one to take him away from me. From his family."

"I am so sorry, I never wanted to hurt him, or anyone else who was involved. If there is anything I can do to help, even if it's just driving the kids to school, or mowing the lawn-"

"You can stay away." Greg was hurt, he was hoping- well he wasn't really sure what he was hoping for. He just wanted answers.

"One day I will see my husband again, but until that day, you will always be a reminder of the man I lost. I don't want you coming around here." She looked sad and heartbroken. She hated to push this man away, but she couldn't handle him. She couldn't take on another burden.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you." she repeated and got up and went inside, leaving Greg with his heart torn in two. He could hear a quiet sobbing coming from behind the door. Patty Drakes kids had told him basically the same thing. To stay away, that he was a reminder of their loss. He felt like a bad omen now, that caused pain wherever he went. He got up and started walking away when he started looking around the neighborhood. Something seemed familiar. And then everthing clicked at once. He called Nick.

"Nick, remembered how I told you about the man who visited? That Yoder was renting those houses. Well, they each had the same layout, they were all soundproof, they all had advanced security systems, not to mention Yoder had made several calls to some man. Then there's the fact that the man who visited shows up dead not long after I get rescued, and the weird FBI agent who visited me the same day Yoder get's killed. These can't be coincidences. It sounds to me like this a business of some kind." Then Greg remembered. "_You know the consequences if you don't pay. But this time, we'll take everything."_ Greg felt a pull in his stomach, realizing Yoder was just the beginning of the nightmare.

"This isn't over."

* * *

**Authors Note**: Maybe sequel, maybe not... Maybe a crossover with Criminal Minds, maybe not. I don't know. All I know, is that this is finally finished. After almost 2 years, I can finally say I finished something! Thanks to all who have read and reviewed. This was a challenge for me since my kind of writing is usually in the form of equations, and I want to thank everyone for their patience and accepting me into this whole other world. I'm going to finish my Psych story next, but then I will move on to my other CSI story, Shadowman.


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